English: A Chinese numismatic charm of unknown origins, it was produced around the same time period as the machine-struck Guangxu Tongbao (光緒通寶) at the Guangzhou Mint in the Province of Guangdong.
There are multiple hypotheses as to the origins of this Manchu Qing Dynasty period machine-struck Chinese numismatic charm, namely:
(1) - It is believed that it is a type of “spirit money” (ming qian 冥钱), also known as “ghost money”, “hell money” or “joss money”, which is a type of money that typically is buried with the deceased. The hypothesis that it's "ghost money" is based on the fact that its inscription reads “world of brightness”, which is a euphemism for the “world of darkness” a Chinese term referring to death. Furthermore, like many other Chinese burial coins this numismatic charm resembles real contemporary Chinese money.
(2) - This is a secret amulet issued by the “Heaven and Earth Society” (天地會), which was a secret organisation that hoped to overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty and reinstall the Han Chinese Ming Dynasty. This is plausible as the inscription on the Chinese coin charm uses the same character “Ming” (明) that is used for Ming Dynasty (明朝), and the inscription Guangming (光明) can be interpreted to be defined as meaning the “glory of the Ming (Dynasty)”.
(3) - It wasn't either an amulet or a secret organisation coin but it was actually made to be used as a game piece (commonly known as "gambling tokens").
The Guangming Shijie (光明世界) is know to exist in three (3) different varieties with the only difference between them being the reverse sides.
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Captions
A Chinese numismatic charm of unknown origins, it was produced around the same time period as the machine-struck Guangxu Tongbao (光緒通寶) at the Guangzhou Mint in the Province of Guangdong.
Uploaded a work by Unknown original authorship. from * [https://primaltrek.com/blog/2011/09/18/chinese-world-of-brightness-coin/ Chinese “World of Brightness” Coin by GARY ASHKENAZY. - GARY ASHKENAZYon SEPTEMBER 18, 2011. Qing Dynasty Machine Struck Cash Coin. - The first Chinese machine-made cash coins were minted during the reign (1875-1908) of Emperor De Zong of the Qing Dynasty.] ([https://primaltrek.com/blog/ Primal Trek - a journey through Chinese culture.]). ** https://primaltrek.com...