Coin with Inscription Chong Ning Tong Bao

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This coin is round with a square hole. It conforms to the shape of Chinese coins that first developed in the early seventh century and continued well into the nineteenth. The four character inscription reads chong ning tong bao, roughly “circulating treasures of the Chongning era.” This is the name given to the period from 1102 to 1106 by Huizong (r. 1101–1125), the last emperor of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127).

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art