Chen Qingxiong, a septuagenarian in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, has collected thousands of ancient coins from different periods. Photo by Wu Guanbiao
Quanzhou, China, January 16 (Wu Guanbiao) "Through a small ancient coin, you can glimpse a magnificent corner of Chinese history. "In his spare time, the elderly Chen Qingxiong of ChenDaitou Village in Luoyang Town, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, likes to look at his collection of ancient coins." So far, I have collected and sorted out thousands of ancient coins, and I can't count how many. ”
China's currency has a long history and a wide variety of currency, and has formed a unique monetary culture. As the starting point of the ancient "Maritime Silk Road", Quanzhou was an essential part of the economy and frequent foreign trade at that time.
In July 2021, "Quanzhou: World Marine Trade Center of Song and Yuan China" was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List. Chen Qingxiong was thrilled by this, in his opinion, "the ancient coins of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, as well as foreign ancient coins, which were circulated in Quanzhou folk, have witnessed the prosperity of Quanzhou's maritime trade." He classified the ancient coins he had collected for decades and compiled a relatively complete history of The Change of Chinese Coinage.
In the memorial hall of the returned overseas Chinese general Chen Qingshan, Chen Qingxiong's ancient coin exhibition is neatly arranged in the order of dynasties. From shell coins, knife coins, cloth coins to the square hole copper coins of the past dynasties, groups of ancient coins packed in photo frames, he can come one by one.
Chen Qingxiong sorted out the ancient coins in his collection according to the dynasty. Photo by Wu Guanbiao
Recently, Chen Qingxiong is particularly interested in the foreign ancient coins received by the local people. Most of these ancient foreign coins originate from the Song and Yuan dynasties, and some are also engraved with Chinese characters. "In a sense, they are also a testimony to the ancient Maritime Silk Road." So Chen Qingxiong sorted them out and made a small exhibition of ancient foreign currencies for tourists to enjoy.
Chen Qingxiong's interest in collecting ancient coins began with the shuttlecocks used when he kicked shuttlecocks as a young man. "In the past, the shuttlecocks were made of square holes, and then the chicken feathers were packed in the ancient coins, and at that time I thought the ancient coins were very interesting."
In the following decades, Chen Qingxiong would carefully collect ancient coins in his life, and regularly went to the antique markets around Fujian to "Taobao" to find his favorite ancient coins, drink tea and chat with some of the same enthusiasts, and taste ancient coins.
In Chen Qingxiong's eyes, ancient coins are the carrier of Chinese history and culture, and they are also part of his life. "Someone once tried to buy me ancient coins, but I didn't sell them. They may have a price in the market, but they are priceless in my place. ”
After the construction of the memorial hall of chen Qingshan, a returned overseas Chinese general, Chen Qingxiong chose to take out his "priceless treasure" for free exhibition. "The Chinese history and culture contained in ancient coins is to be understood and passed on to the next generation, if you just hide it yourself and play, what does it mean?"
Many years ago, when Chen Qingxiong's daughter got married, he once selected a set of ancient coins from the collection as a new wedding gift to the newlyweds, implying that traditional culture has been passed down from generation to generation. At that time, many people in the village did not understand, but Chen Qingxiong believed that his highly educated daughter and son-in-law could understand his intentions and pass on the culture.
Today, Chen Qingxiong, who is more than seventy years old, still sits at his desk, tasting and sorting out ancient coins in front of books, and talking about ancient coins is still full of youthful passion. Recently, his goal is to collect and sort out a set of Qing Dynasty "Baotai Bureau" coins, using ancient coins to show the deep origin and blood-linked history and culture of the two sides of the strait. (End)