﻿460 
  ANNUAL 
  KEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  We 
  recall 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  warring 
  kingdoms 
  they 
  

   played 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  part 
  in 
  hostilities 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  negotiations 
  

   for 
  peace. 
  Such 
  practices 
  as 
  " 
  carrying 
  away 
  the 
  heavy 
  objects 
  " 
  

   were 
  common. 
  The 
  vessels 
  and 
  bells 
  of 
  ancient 
  times 
  had 
  been 
  

   unearthed 
  gradually, 
  but 
  also 
  gradually 
  lost. 
  There 
  are 
  as 
  many 
  

   as 
  643 
  pieces 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  books 
  of 
  Ouyang 
  Hsiu, 
  Chao 
  Ming- 
  

   cheng, 
  and 
  Hsueh 
  Sheng 
  Kung, 
  but 
  few 
  remain. 
  

  

  However, 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  came 
  to 
  light 
  later 
  on; 
  in 
  the 
  

   writings 
  of 
  the 
  Ch'ing 
  dynasty 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  2,635 
  pieces 
  are 
  mentioned, 
  

   all 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  scattered 
  throughout 
  the 
  rural 
  districts 
  of 
  China, 
  

   not 
  including 
  those 
  that 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  palaces, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  which 
  

   is 
  probably 
  even 
  larger. 
  Wu 
  Ying 
  Tien, 
  Wen 
  Hua 
  Tien, 
  and 
  the 
  

   old 
  palace 
  museum 
  contain 
  each 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  these 
  treasures, 
  the 
  cata- 
  

   logue 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  complete. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  things 
  in 
  these 
  palaces 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  pre-Confucian 
  

   period 
  and 
  the 
  language 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  decipher. 
  But 
  thanks 
  to 
  

   the 
  untiring 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  scholars, 
  the 
  language 
  is 
  now 
  nearly 
  com- 
  

   pletelj'^ 
  worked 
  out. 
  As 
  a 
  means 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  linguistic 
  

   changes 
  in 
  ancient 
  times 
  and 
  the 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  Chinese 
  language, 
  the 
  

   material 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  palaces 
  is 
  very 
  important. 
  Nine-tenths 
  of 
  

   the 
  inscriptions 
  on 
  these 
  treasures 
  are 
  comparatively 
  simple 
  and 
  

   short. 
  

  

  Now 
  that 
  we 
  can 
  read 
  the 
  language 
  before 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  Confucius 
  

   we 
  can 
  correct 
  many 
  mistakes 
  that 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  before 
  his 
  time 
  

   and 
  we 
  can 
  insert 
  many 
  historical 
  events 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  recorded 
  in 
  

   histories 
  in 
  antiquity. 
  

  

  Then 
  we 
  can 
  also 
  see 
  from 
  these 
  inscriptions 
  the 
  economic 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  of 
  that 
  time 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  contracts 
  and 
  agreements 
  which 
  

   were 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  civil 
  law. 
  That 
  is 
  why 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  60 
  or 
  TO 
  

   years 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  inscriptions 
  on 
  metals 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  

   greater 
  enthusiasm 
  and 
  ardor 
  than 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  stone 
  inscriptions 
  

   and 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  metal 
  inscriptions 
  has 
  been 
  attended 
  with 
  greater 
  

   success 
  than 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  stone 
  inscriptions. 
  

  

  Old 
  coins. 
  — 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  old 
  coins 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  done 
  in 
  an 
  

   amateurish 
  spirit, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  now 
  become 
  a 
  special 
  branch 
  of 
  study. 
  

   According 
  to 
  the 
  statement 
  of 
  collectors, 
  there 
  are 
  7,000 
  varieties 
  of 
  

   old 
  coins, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  more 
  than 
  5,000 
  years 
  old. 
  While 
  

   I 
  do 
  not 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  statement 
  is 
  reliable, 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  true 
  

   that 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  can 
  be 
  dated 
  back 
  3,000 
  or 
  2,500 
  years. 
  From 
  these 
  

   old 
  coins, 
  which 
  were 
  the 
  medium 
  of 
  exchange 
  in 
  ancient 
  times, 
  we 
  

   can 
  infer 
  the 
  economic 
  conditions 
  of 
  ancient 
  China. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  middle 
  age 
  of 
  China 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  every 
  period 
  

   has 
  had 
  its 
  own 
  coins. 
  Whenever 
  an 
  Emperor 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  throne, 
  

   new 
  coins 
  were 
  minted, 
  so 
  that 
  on 
  examining 
  the 
  quality, 
  size, 
  and 
  

  

  