Ration Silver

Stephen Tai
Feb.06, 1998

The Shown sycee with two vertical inscriptions read as Kuang Hsu Shan Nien Liou Yuei, Ling Chuang Hsien Sher Yong Chin - 'The 6^th month, the 3^rd year of Kuang Hsu, submitted by Ling Chuang County, and cast by silversmith Sher Yong Ching' - and a square stamp in the middle read as Shansi Shen Jing Shiang - 'Ration for Beijing, the Central Government, submitted by Shansi Province'. 112x66mm, 1882g (50taels)

The inscriptions indicates that the shown sycee, being cast in the 6^th month, the 3^rd year of Kuang Hsu (1877, 1875-1908 AD), was made from tax silvers collected by the local government of Ling Chuang County, a city located in the south of Shansi Province, from its taxpayers. According to the laws of the Empire, local taxes would all have to be submitted to the central government as Jing Shiang ('Ration for Beijing or the central government') by every local governments, by way of their provinces, except that only certain amount of silver could be reserved as expenses for personnel, and general administration for and by the local governments. Such sycee was primarily submitted to the provincial government by Ling Chuang County.
The stamp of Shansi Shen Jing Shiang ('Ration for Beijing, the Central Government, submitted by Shansi province') was stricken by the Shansi provincial government, after the time when it received the sycee from Ling Chuan County, and before its submittal of the sycee to Beijing. This stamp was rarely seen on similar ration silvers, actually, they had not been requested to have a stamp like this, however, it more evidently explains to us: Where did ration silver come from? and, How it was submitted to Beijing?

A Legendary Currency in Late Ching Dynasty - A Study on Yunnan Pai-Fang-Ding