Wu Ti
Born 156 B.C., Emperor of China, 140-87 B.C.
Copper, 25.5 mm.
O: Chinese inscription "Wu-Shu"
R: Blank.
In 118 BC., Wu Ti introduced these "Wu Shu" coins. These coins
were produced for more than seven hundred years, so it is generally difficult
to determine when a particular specimen was produced. However specific
details of the characters and the well-developed rims indicate that this coin
was among those produced during the reign of Wu Ti.
Han Wu Ti was the most illustrious emperor of the Han dynasty, bringing Han China to a peak of power, wealth, and cultural development. Even today the ethnic Chinese call themselves "Han," as distinct from the Manchus and other minorities in China. He ruled for over five decades, a period that saw great territorial expansion and a burst of economic and cultural activity. His armies pushed north and west into central Asia, east to Korea, and south to the coast. Trade with the states of western Asia grew, silk became a major export, and inventors found ways to make paper and porcelain. During his reign Confucianism became the state's orthodox philosophy; arts flourished, and the first systematic history of China was produced.