Qi knife Qi Zhi Fa Hua

The "Fa Hua" (法化) inscription on Qi knife money denotes official state-sanctioned currency, distinguishing these pieces from the cruder knife forms circulating in neighboring states. Qi's knife coinage persisted through repeated political upheaval, including the near-total conquest of the state by Yan around 284 BC, when Qi was reduced to just two cities before Tian Dan's famous counteroffensive restored the kingdom. That interruption likely accounts for observable variation in fabric and weight across the type's long production span.