5 Fen - Guangxu

Hupeh Province's silver fen coinage of this period emerged directly from Zhang Zhidong's modernization drive — he had imported British minting machinery for the Wuchang mint in 1893, and these small denominations were among its earliest serious output. The province was operating with considerable autonomy from Beijing, and its mint ran largely on its own commercial logic rather than imperial directive.

The ten-year date range reflects genuine extended production, not uncertainty. Dies were reused across years with minimal modification.