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5 Zhu Northern dynasties, Northern Qi
| Issuer | Northern Qi dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 553-559 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze cash coin of typical Northern Qi style, featuring a central square hole (穿) surrounded by four Chinese characters arranged in cruciform reading order around the perforation. The four-character legend 常平五銖 (Chang Ping Wu Zhu) is rendered in regular script (kaishu) with bold, well-formed strokes raised in relief against a flat field. The characters read top-to-bottom and right-to-left in the conventional arrangement. The coin exhibits a plain raised rim and no inner or outer decorative borders beyond the square hole rim. The surfaces display an aged green and brown patina consistent with genuine burial excavation. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | 常平五銖 |
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| Additional information |
The Northern Qi dynasty's 5 Zhu coinage was issued under Emperor Wenxuan, who came to power in 550 after dismantling the remnant Eastern Wei state — a transition that required projecting administrative legitimacy quickly. Coinage was one of the more visible tools for doing so. The 5 Zhu type had deep Han-dynasty roots, and reviving it was a deliberate act of dynastic positioning rather than simple monetary policy.
Wenxuan died in 559, increasingly erratic in his final years by most historical accounts. The type did not long survive him.