During the chaotic transition from Qing rule to the early Republic, provincial authorities and private workshops across Kansu (Gansu) produced imitation cash pieces to address acute copper shortages — the central mint infrastructure had largely collapsed, and local commerce couldn't wait for Beijing to sort itself out. These pieces were never officially sanctioned, and attributing them to a single issuing authority is largely a convenience of cataloging rather than a historical reality.
During the chaotic transition from Qing rule to the early Republic, provincial authorities and private workshops across Kansu (Gansu) produced imitation cash pieces to address acute copper shortages — the central mint infrastructure had largely collapsed, and local commerce couldn't wait for Beijing to sort itself out. These pieces were never officially sanctioned, and attributing them to a single issuing authority is largely a convenience of cataloging rather than a historical reality.