A Tax Silver Sycee of Late Ming Dynasty

Stephen Tai
Jan.25, 1998

The shown sycee (Length: 94mm, Width: 41mm, Height: 42mm) engraved with 15 characters as Wan Li Xi Liou Niang Ba Yuei Yuong Chang Fu Ke Yin Jian Wang Fu, means 'the August of the 16th year of Wan Li Period (1588 A.D.), the tax silver from Yuong Chang Prefecture(in the west of Yunnan Province), (manufactured) by silversmith Wang Fu'.

Peculiarities:

Its weight, 768g, i.e. 20 taels, is one of the standard weights for each single tax silver stipulated by the Central Government in the latter period of Ming Dynasty. Besides, other standards in 10, 30, 40, 50 taels are reported being existed. Even though, however, they could be hardly seen except for a few in 50 taels.
The shape, boat or shoe shape, stands for the uniformed feature of Late Ming’s sycee, which Yunnan officials were compulsorily to be complied, and it had been adopted and employed by many regions later in Ching Dynasty, however, such shape seems to fade out from Yunnan gradually, square ingots were chosen to take its place, since very early stage of Ching Dynasty.
The place, Yuong Chang Prefecture in Yunnan , is famous for its silver mines, most of the taxes there were coming from such cause. This sycee might possibly be taken as silver tax by then.
The Inscription, by engraving, not chop-striking, generally speaking, is an conventional manner used by Chinese before Ching Dynasty, while making sycee.

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