536 DAVIS. 



Plate 55. Lowek Seal on the Ching-k'ang Notes. 



Six characters arranged as follows: 



Treasure Convenience Great 



Note Public (People) Sung 



Translation: "Public Convenience Treasure-Note of the Great Sung 

 Dynasty." 



Notes of Emperor Kao-tsung (1127-1162 A.D.) of the 

 Southern Sung Dynasty. 



In 1127 A.D. Kao-tsung ascended the throne and established the era 

 called Chien-yen, which lasted through 1130 A.D., when its name was 

 changed to Shao-hsing (1131-1162 A.D.). Five varieties of notes 

 bearing the former name are in the possession of the Chu Family. 

 They are somewhat similar to the notes of the Hsia and Chin 

 Dynasties. Each has ornamental borders with the dragon-and-cloud 

 design; at the top are six characters which read: "Great Sung Gen- 

 eral Circulation Treasure-Note"; below is the denomination, — 10, 20, 

 30, 40 and 50 kwan respectively, and a pictorial representation of 

 cash (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively). On either side the pictorial 

 representation are four characters in an ancient style of writing, 

 which read: "Great Sung Metal Cash" (the first two words at the 

 right and the last tw^o at the left). Below is the inscription: "The 

 Board of Revenue, having petitioned", etc., ending with "Chien-yen, 



year, month, day ". On the reverse of each 



note appears a figure: for ten kwan, a tiger; for 20 kwan a Ssii; for 

 30 kwan, an elephant; for 40 kwan, a rabbit; and for fifty kwan, a 

 Hon.* 



* In the beginning? of this text, the author discusses the issuance of hui-tzu 

 which may be translated as "bonds" or "agreements". He quotes from two 

 books, in one of which the hui-tzu is referred to as "paper-money", while 

 in the other it is not considered paper-money, and is classed as chiao-tzu, or 

 "bills of exchange". After thus presenting the two opposite views, it is to be 

 inferred that the author is inclined to agree with the first and that he considers 

 the notes ])ublishc(l in Kao-tsvmg's time hui-tzii. However, in the following 

 chapter of his book the author makes it clear that hui-tzii are bronze tablets 

 which were issued as certificates representing money. K. T. 



