1 Jiao - Hongxian Founding of the Empire

The Hongxian era lasted 83 days as an imperial reign before Yuan Shikai, facing military revolt and near-universal political abandonment, cancelled his own empire in March 1916 and died shortly after in June. Coins struck under the Hongxian designation were produced in anticipation of a stable imperial restoration that never materialized, making the entire series a numismatic record of political miscalculation on a grand scale.

Hunan Province issues within this series are notably scarcer than those from the central government mints, produced in limited quantities before provincial authorities moved to distance themselves from the collapsing imperial project.