Summary

Cash, Issued by Kwangtung Province, Empire of China, 1906 - 1908

Obverse Description

Central round hole dividing the Chinese characters Kuang-hsu t'ung-pao

Reverse Description

Two characters divided by the hole giving the mint name in Manchu

Edge Description

The edge is plain

Significance

On 22 August 1905 the Emperor approved a regulation that would establish a central mint at Tientsin (now Tianjin) with four branch mints at Nanking (now Nanjing), Tientsin, Wuchang and Canton (now Guangzhou). Expansion of all other mints was forbidden with an intention to close them when possible. The official banks were to watch money-changers and markets, with any attempt to raise or lower the value of the coins to be reported to the Board of Revenue or Provincial authorities. Reference: Royal Mint Annual Report 1906, pp.26-28

This coin was of the smallest denomination produced. Production continued from the time Canton became a Branch mint until the death of the emperor in 1908.

More Information