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Created 21 dec. 2003

Last edited 13 jan. 2004

Copper Puls of the Jungarian Khanate (18^th Century)

V.A.Belyaev, V.N.Nastich

The Jungars are a group of western Mongolian tribes (Kalmyk, Oirat), who have established the tribal union in the late 14^th century and created the Jungarian (Oirat) Khanate in the beginning of the 17^th century (ca.1630–1757AD). The khanate waged incessant wars with its neighbours —Kazakh tribes in the west and Chinese armies of the Qing dynasty in the south striving to put the Eastern Turkestan region under their control. In 1700, Jungar khan Tsewang Rabdan (1691–1727) moved on to Southern Xinjiang and subdued his satellite, khan of Yarkand. He ordered the defeated vassals to mint copper puls with the name of Tsewang. Jungarian puls lead their origin from Yarkand Khanate puls (coins ZENO ## 416, 3447 [1]), known in Xinjiang as «horse hoof coins» (ma ti bi 馬蹄幣) [2]. A part of new coins was exported to the north as a tribute. After the death of Tsewang Rabdan, the power was succeeded to his son Galdan Tseren (1727–1745) who, in turn, issued coins with his name. The old puls were accepted at the rate 2:1 to the new money. After the death of Galdan Tseren no new money was issued. The Jungarian khanate was finally defeated by the Qing in the 22^nd regnal year of Emperor Qian Long (1757).

In the ZENO database, the copper puls of both above-mentioned Jungarian rulers are represented. Furthermore we shall use the definitions ‘type 1’ and ‘type 2’ for the coins of Tsewang Rabdan and Galdan Tseren respectively. The puls are rather uniform tear-drop or melon-seed in shape with the size 14 x 17 mm, thickness from 3.5 to 7 mm, and weight around 7.5–8.0 g. The coins were cast. An important peculiarity of these coppers is that their inscriptions are not raised but incused into the coin surface. The legends are written in undotted Arabic script with many blunders and graphic distortions. The line sequence is the same as on most later coins of Central Asia, viz. from bottom to top.

The first data on these coins, apparently, have been published by N.Petrovskiy in 1892, but he correctly read only mint name, having left coins uncertain in the rest [3]. Authors did not manage to find in publications more or less full and correct reading of legends of the first coin. Moreever, in the album Xinjiang Numismatics [4] appeared the mistake, further approved by the SCWC [5]) – coins of Galdan Tseren (Khardan Chirin) described as coins of Tsewang Rabdan (Tsewang Arabtan) and on the contrary. The reason of those difficulties seems to be in the specificial stlyle of coin legend graphics – convex, distorted and without diacritical signs. However, the name Galdan-Tseren on the obv. of type 2 and Yarkand mint name on the rev. of the both coins can be read easily. Inscription on the obv. of type 1 can be deciphered with less reliability. Bottom word on the most varieties is distorted to unreadable degree and only on a few varieties can be supposed as Siban or Chiban (i.e. Tsewang); top word, instead of the second part of the name Tsewang Rabdan, is decomposed on the elements which in aggregate gives reading hun-tai-chi. Huntaiji (also can met in distorted forms huntaichi, huntaishi, kontazhi, kontasi, kontasiy, kontaizhiya, kontaisha, kontaciya, kontush) is the class title of large Mongolian feudal lords and crone princes of a han’s throne in Mongolia [6]. This title originated from Chinese huang tai-zi 皇太子 [7] - literally «crone prince». All rules of Jungarian khanate beared this title, starting from its founder Baatur huntaiji [8].

Coin of Tsewang-Rabdan XN 178, 179 KM #C 36-7.2	Obv.	Ó† ÔBM ÆÌa /(?)ÆBJu Siban (?) hun-tai-chi
	Rev.	fÄ·iBÍ /Ljy zarb Yarkand
Coin of Galdan-Tseren XN #177, 180 KM #C 36-7.1	Obv.	ÅÍj† /ÆAf»BŒ Galdan Cheren
	Rev.	fÄ·iBÍ /Ljy zarb Yarkand

The Jungarian copper puls were ordered to be demonetized, melted, and replaced by standard Chinese cast bronze coins [здесь несовсем корректно. Есть термины «стандартные цяни» и «красные цяни», а мы перевели, что «стандартные китайские литые бронзовые монеты, называемые красными цянями». По смыслу нужно – «вместо них отливать медные монеты китайского типа, которые получили название "красных чохов"] named “red cash” (hong-qian 紅錢). В частности, в 1760 г. в Яркенде было отлито 500000 монет для обмена на пулы [9]. Первые выпуски красных чохов, также как и джунгарских пулов, отливались по весовой норме 2 цяня (7,46 г), далее их вес начал снижаться. Дэвид Хартилл также сообщает, что к моменту китайского завоевания Яркенд был известен как Йерким (葉爾奇木 е-эр-ци-му). В 1761 году город был переименован в Яркенд (葉爾羌 е-эр-цян), поэтому на первых выпусках красных цяней встречаются названия обоих монетных дворов. Утверждение о названиях Йерким и Яркенд представляется сомнительным, поскольку мы видим название монетного двора Яркенд на монетах, выпускавшихся до китайского завоевания. The small copper denomination “pul” (Chinese pu-er 普爾) remained in use in Xinjiang until the end of the 19^th century.

References:

1. ZENO – http://www.zeno.ru.

2. Tao Zhifang. An Examination of Yarkand Khanate Coinage. Xinjiang Qianbi (Xinjiang Numismatics), 1999-1, pp. 19-20, English translation by Alexander Akin published in the as-Sikka (السكة) - The Online Journal of The Islamic Coins Group.

3. Petrovskiy N. Zagadochnye yarkendskie monety (Mysterious Yarkand coins). Zapiski Vostochnogo otdeleniya imp. Russkogo Arheologicheskogo Obshchestva. v.7, Sankt-Petersburg., 1893, pp.307-310. In Russian.

4. XN - Dong Qingxuan, Jiang Qixiang. Xinjiang Numismatics. Hong Kong, 1991. 248 pp., text in Chinese and English.

5. KM – Krause C.L., Mishler C., Colin R.Bruce II, Editor. Standard Catalog of World Coins, Krause Publications. XVIII^th Century. 2^nd edition, 1997.

6. Russko-kitaiskie otnosheniya v XVIII veke (Russian-Chinese relations in XVIIIth Century). Vol. II. 1725-1727. Moscow, Nauka publishing house, 1990. 669 pp.

7. Poslannik Petra I na Vostoke. Posol’stvo Florio Benevini v Persiyu I Bukharu v 1718-1725 godah (Ambassador of Peter the Great in the East. Ambassy of Florio Benevini to Persia and Bukhara in 1718-1725.). Moscow, 1986. In Russian.

8. Zlatkin I.Ya. Istoriya Jungarskogo hanstva (1635—1758). (History of Jungarian Khanate). Moscow, 1964. In Russian.

9. Hartill D. Qing Cash. Royal Numismatic Society Special Publication no. 37, London, 2003. 316 pp.