Though the face of the coins carry standard Chinese Language ideograms, the reverse side sometimes carries the image of a figure taken from the mythic Mahabharata tales. Those made in Java tented to be of coarser quality than coins from Vietnam, Korea, or Japan, but one feature found on many Japanese coins makes them highly sought after in Bali. Though all "Chinese Coins" are similar in shape and inscription, they were, in fact, manufactured throughout East Asia. The hole in the center had a utilitarian purpose: coins were hung on a string and counted off as required. In Java and Bali they became the "pennies" of the economy, with all coins having equal face value and one coins referred to as "one cash". An inscription uncovered in the village of Sukawana suggests that by the late ninth century the coins were already being used in Bali Hindu rituals. Pis bolong appeared in Bali as early as the seventh century.
#CHINESE COINS WITH SQUARE HOLE SERIES#
One or two coins are included in almost all offerings, handfuls are tossed into the flames at cremations, large quantities are used to fashion cili, small, elongated statues representing a particular goddess.įirst used in China in the sixth century BC, "Chinese Coin" were cast by pouring molten copper or bronze into a series of branching channels- a literal, albeit inverted, money tree. It is the pis bolong, the ancient form of Chinese coin, the currency of petty trade in The East Asian religion for almost two millennia.Ĭast from copper alloy with a square hole in the center,pis bolongare an indispensable component of many Balinese Ceremonies. Nonetheless, one form of cash played, and continues to play, a key role in Balinese life. Until the advent of mass tourism in the 1970s, Bali was predominantly a cashless society, a subsistence economy where the essentials of life were either grown, made, or bartered for. In Bali these "pennies" took on an integral role not only in trade and commerce, but in true Bali style they became an indispensable part of the culture's unique ceremonies and offerings. In Bali these "pennies" took on an integral role not only in trade and commerce, but in true Bali style they became an indispensable.ĭistinctive Chinese coins with a small square hole in the middle have been the basic unit of currency in East Asia for almost two thousand years. Distinctive Chinese coins with a small square hole in the middle have been the basic unit of currency in East Asia for almost two thousand years.
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