{"id":117,"date":"2023-07-18T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/?p=117"},"modified":"2023-07-18T19:40:10","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T19:40:10","slug":"two-chinese-coins-a-history-pt-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/?p=117","title":{"rendered":"Two Chinese Coins: A History (pt. II)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this blogpost, Student Research Assistant, Sisi Li, continues her examination of two Chinese coins from the University of Regina Collection at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. Both coins were bequeathed to the University on Norman MacKenzie\u2019s death in 1936. Read part I here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 1. A bronze Chinese coin. MacKenzie Art Gallery, University of Regina Collection, gift of Mr. Norman MacKenzie 1983-059-015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is a Chinese coin made of bronze (Fig. 1). Coins of this type have been a common currency in China since the Han Dynasty. Its image depicts the Daoist Diagrams of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains \u4e94\u5dbd\u771f\u5f62\u5716 (Fig. 2). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This originates from a special image of collapsed mountains which was drawn by ancient Chinese Taoists, designed at the end of the Han Dynasty. The image represents five sacred mountains in China: Tai Mountain; Hua Mountain; Song Mountain; Heng Mountain; and Huo\/Heng Mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some believe that the Five Sacred Mountains originated from the Chinese thought of the Five Elements and the worship of mountain gods. The Five Sacred Mountains represent metal, wood, water, fire, and earth respectively. The phrase \u201cFive Sacred Mountains\u201d comes from a book Zhou Li\u5468\u793c<\/em>, \u201cSacrifice to the country, the five gods, and the Five Sacred Mountains with blood.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 2. The image on the coin depicts the Daoist Diagrams Of The True Forms Of The Five Sacred Mountains \u4e94\u5dbd\u771f\u5f62\u5716<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tai Mountain means \u201cwood\u201d. Tai Mountain is huge, like a giant sitting upright, giving the feeling of majesty and solemnity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hua Mountain means \u201cgold\u201d. The shape of Hua Mountain is steep, and its peaks are like sharp knives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heng Mountain means \u201cfire\u201d. Heng Mountain looks like a bird\u2019s wing, and gives a sense of elegance and beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huo Mountain means \u201cwater\u201d and has towering peaks and deep valleys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Song Mountain means \u201cearth\u201d and looks like a reclining person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theory of the five elements corresponds to the legend of the God who founded Taoism, Taishang Daojun. He placed the five mountains to guard the land according to the principle that the five elements mutually reinforce and restrain each other, so that the Chinese emperor and his people could live peacefully and happily on their land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others say that the Five Sacred Mountains are represent the \u201cfour kinds of creatures\u201d and the God of earth. Tai Mountain represents the cyan dragon, Hua Mountain the white tiger, Heng Mountain the red bird, Huo Mountain the Xuanwu (black turtle and snake), and Song Mountain represents the earth god.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the exquisite design and the connotation of Chinese Taoist culture, this kind of coin with the Daoist Diagrams of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains has important collection value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/a> Zhou Li \u5468\u793c<\/em>, (according to legend) was written by Zhou Gong\u5468\u516c. The whole book was finalized in the Warring States Period. The phrase \u201cFive Sacred Mountains\u201d appears in the chapter \u201cChunguan\u00b7Da Zongbo\u6625\u5b98\u00b7\u5927\u5b97\u4f2f\u201d in Zhou Li<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return to blog<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this blogpost, Student Research Assistant, Sisi Li, continues her examination of two Chinese coins from the University of Regina Collection at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. Both coins were bequeathed to the University on Norman MacKenzie\u2019s death in 1936. Read part I here. This is a Chinese coin made of bronze (Fig. 1). Coins of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130,"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117\/revisions\/130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.uregina.ca\/president\/collections-review\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}