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Timeline of China

The representative coins listed in the table are suitable for beginners who want to start collecting Chinese coins but do not know how and where to begin.

All Chinese names and terminology are in Han Y� Ping Yin with English Translation (in Italics) as printed in Schjoth's book (see books and references).
Basic collection: [Xia-Warring States] [Qin-Six Dynasties] [Sui-Southern Song] [Yuan-Republic]

Name of Dynasty in HAN Y� PING YING

English
Translations

 Date / Period

Basic Representative
Coins

Illustration numbers in Schjoth's book

Important Events / Remarks
XIA HSIA approx. 2200 � 1800 BCE Natural Cowry Shell A-3, A-4  
SHANG SHANG approx. 1800 � 1120 BCE Immitation Cowry Shell A-5 - A-8  
XI ZHOU WESTERN CHOU approx. 1120 � 770 BCE Bronze Cowry A-9 Many variations of this primitive money
DONG ZHOU EASTERN CHOU approx. 770 � 256 BCE Spade, Knife, Ant-nose Money No. 13, 51, A-15 Spring Autumn � 476 BC
Warring States � 221 BC
QIN CH'IN 221 � 207 BCE Ch'in Pan-liang No. 83 DONG ZHOU (Kingdom) was conquered by QIN in 256 BC
XI HAN WESTERN HAN 202 BCE � 8 CE Han Wu-ch'u No. 114 One of the longest circulated cash
XIN ZHAO HSIN (Interregnum) 7 � 22 CE Ta-chuan wu-shih,
Huo-pu		 No. 120, 148 This period is not consided as a new dynasty.
WEI /
SAN GUO		 WEI /
THREE KINGDOMS		 220 � 265 Dong Wu's
Ta-chuan wu-pai		 No. 192 Three Kingdoms are:
WEI, SHU, and WU
JIN WESTERN and
EASTERNCHIN		 265 � 317 (Western Chin)
317 � 420 (Eastern Chin)		 Elm-leaf Wu-ch'u NA Use Han Wu-ch'u
NAN BEI ZHAO NORTHERN and SOUTHERN
DIVISIONS		 420 � 589 Northern: Ch'ang-ping wu-ch'u
Southern: Wu-hsing ta-pu		 No. 247 Invasions of the five barbarians in the north
SUI SUI 589 � 618 Sui Wu-ch'u No. 253 Although this dynasty is rather short-lived, it provides a firm foundation for the mighty TANG dynasty that follows.
TANG T'ANG 618 � 907 Kai yuan t'ung-pao No. 312 Another longest circulated cash
WU DAI SHI GOU FIVE DYNASTIES & TEN KINGDOMS 907 � 979 Southern T'ang's (Kingdom)
T'ang-kou t'ung-pao		 No. 443  
BEI SONG NORTHERN SUNG 960 � 1126 Shun-hua t'ung-pao varietions:
Clerical script
Running script
Grass script		 No. 629 Sung's cash is the most commonly available Chinese antique coins.
NAN SONG SOUTHERN SUNG 1127 � 1279 Southern Sung's
Shun-hsi yuan-pao (value 2),
Chin Dynasty's
Ch'eng-lung yuan-pao		 No.714, 1083 Three northern kingdoms are JIN ZHAO, LIAO GOU, XI XIA
YUAN YUAN
(The Mongols)		 1297 � 1368 Chih-ta t'ung-pao No. 1098 Cash with Mongol script best represents the period but it is expensive.
MING MING 1368 � 1644 Yung-lo t'ung-pao No. 1166  
QING CH'ING 1644 � 1911 Hsian-fong zong-pao (value 10),
Kuang Hsu tung-pao (machine milled)		 No. 1594, 1588  
MING GOU THE (EARLY) REPUBLIC 1911 � Birth of the new Republic of China copper coin NA