7th century copper coin evidences cultural exchanges and integration

With fewer than three examples extant, a coin inscribed with four Chinese characters that read “Auspicious Gaochang” (Gaochang Jili) is a rare treasure minted by the Gaochang Kingdom in the Western Regions during the Zhenguan reign (627-649) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The copper coin features a round shape with a square hole and bears the four Chinese characters in clerical script on the obverse, a design very similar to the Tang Dynasty’s Kaiyuan Tongbao coin circulating in the Central Plain. It proves the cultural integration between the Central Plain and the Western Regions.

Unearthed in Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in 1928, this coin is a prized possession of the Turpan Museum.