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Plate 19.3 Zhenyou baoquan 貞祐寶券 for 50 strings, Jin dynasty, Plate 19.4 Zhiyuan tongxing baochao 至元通行寶鈔 for two strings,
1213–16 (Zhenyou reign). Height 33.7cm, width 17.9cm. Shanxi Yuan dynasty, 1264–94 (Zhiyuan reign). Height 29.8cm, width
Museum 21.4cm. Shanghai Museum

about 26km north of Jiangyin, found in 1988 (for 1 string and Scanning electron microscopic identification of fibres in
200 cash), and five from a tomb in Changjing, about 40km Ming dynasty paper money
southeast of Jiangyin, found in 2004 (three for 300 cash and
8
two for 200 cash). The rest of the inscription is the same on Caroline R. Cartwright
all notes: ‘[The Ministry of Revenue/Secretariat], with Traditionally Ming dynasty paper money was thought to be
Imperial sanction, has manufactured and printed Great made from mulberry bark fibres, although it was not known
Ming treasure certificates for circulation alongside bronze (or stated) which of the Moraceae family was involved, e.g.
coins. Those using counterfeit notes will be executed. Morus alba (white mulberry), Morus australis (formerly M.
Informants will receive 250 liang of silver and the entire bombycis) (Chinese mulberry), Broussonetia papyrifera (paper
property of the criminal.’ The final column gives the date of mulberry) or Broussonetia kazinoki (Japanese paper mulberry/
issue as ‘the … day of the … month of the … year of the chu). Recent interest in Ming dynasty paper money
Hongwu reign period’, though the three blanks were never prompted scientific examination of the Ming notes in the
filled in, and the reign name was never changed. British Museum (nine originals, one reproduction and four
All three red seal impressions stamped on Ming notes later forgeries) and the British Library collections (two out of
(two on the front and one on the back) are six-character five analysed). For this study, reference material associated
inscriptions in nine-fold script. Those on the front read Da with papermaking during the Ming dynasty was sourced
Ming baochao zhi yin 大明寶鈔之印 (‘Seal of the Great Ming from China and Japan and included: paper mulberry
treasure certificate’), Baochao tijusi yin 寶鈔提舉司印 (‘Seal of (Broussonetia papyrifera), Japanese paper mulberry (Broussonetia
the supervisorate of treasure certificates’) and the one on the kazinoki), white mulberry (Morus alba), Chinese mulberry
back Yinzao baochao ju yin 印造寶鈔局印(‘Seal of the office of (Morus australis), snailseed vine (Cocculus trilobus), hibiscus/
treasure-certificate-printing’). The latter two name the two cotton rosemallow (Hibiscus mutabilis), different types of
main government organisations involved in the production bamboo (Bambuseae tribe), sandalwood (Dalbergia sp.), rice
and issue of paper money. straw (Oryza sativa), wheat straw (Triticum sp.), cotton
These are the basic design features found on Ming (Gossypium sp.), hemp (Cannabis sativa), ramie (Boehmeria nivea),
dynasty paper money, and although they are usually jute (Corchorus sp.), rattan (Calamus sp.), flax (Linum sp.), gampi
considered in the context of numismatics and the history of (Wikstroemia canescens) mitsumata (Edgeworthia sp.), abaca
Chinese money, they should also be reviewed as part of the (Musa textilis) and silk (from mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori,
much larger world of Ming material culture. larvae cocoons).

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