1/2 Miscal / 5 Fen - Guangxu Khotan, Kho - Tan, left to right

Khotan's mint operated under conditions unlike anything elsewhere in Qing-controlled territory. Following Yakub Beg's defeat and Zuo Zongtang's brutal reconquest of Xinjiang in 1877, the Qing reimposed authority over a region that had functioned as an independent khanate for over a decade. These small silver pieces were among the first coins struck under restored imperial administration, and their bilingual inscriptions reflect a deliberate political calculation — Turki-speaking Uyghur populations needed legible coinage, but Beijing required visible Qing authority on every denomination.

The "left to right" die orientation distinguishes this variety within Y#A7.11 attributions.