The 'New Xiang Mint' in Nanyang: Possibly Unveiling a Corner of Wang Mang's Reforms

A large state-level official mint from the New Xiang period was recently discovered within the Nanyang Prefecture Yamen Museum in Henan, which is expected to decipher the economic code of China's New Xiang Dynasty over 2000 years ago. This site mainly produced copper coin molds, and also cast two types of currency, 'Daquan Fifty' and 'Xiaoquan Direct One', marking an important archaeological discovery that provides precious historical materials for the study of coin casting during the Qin and Han periods and the socio-economic system of the New Xiang period. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, society was turbulent, and the economy was in decline. After usurping the Han throne, Wang Mang initiated reforms to restore ancient practices, including four rounds of currency reform. The relics unearthed this time are from the second currency reform in the 'first year of the establishment of the nation' (AD 9). The preliminary exploration area of the Nanyang Prefecture Yamen New Xiang mint site exceeds 100,000 square meters, with the current excavation area of 75 square meters being just the tip of the iceberg. The discovery of a Han Dynasty mint site of such scale at the Nanyang Prefecture Yamen has significant historical and scientific value, providing physical materials for further corroboration with historical documents and discussions on the monetary and financial conditions of Han Wancheng during the New Xiang period. The Han Dynasty mint site at the Nanyang Prefecture Yamen is the first scientifically excavated mint site from the New Xiang period in China, pushing back the history of the Nanyang Prefecture Yamen from the Ming Dynasty to the New Xiang period, and holds significant academic, historical, and exhibition value.