Dali Kingdom 大理國. Yun Nan, China. Ming dynasty period. Late 15th century. Tai Ping Xin Bao 太平信寶。AE cash. An independent kingdom known as the Dali 大理 came into power after overthrowing the preceding Nanzhao Kingdom in what is modern Yunnan province in China during the 9th century. The Duan 段 family dynasty which is of Han ancestry established this independent kingdom and continued to function as an autonomous or independent kingdom during centuries of dynastic succession in China from the Song through to the Ming Dynasty. Source: Wikipedia Whilst the ruling family is Han, the kingdom was multi-ethnic given its location in the diverse Yunnan province. During the Yuan and the Ming, the kingdom received governors and subservient vassal status to China before the full annexation during the Ming Dynasty. Their culture is predominantly Chinese but there is heavy influences of Bai and Tibetan. Of particular interest is it's strong Buddhist (a unique Vajrayana form known as Azhali) religious dominance where 10 of the 22 kings of Dali retired into monkhood. However, during the Yuan Dynasty, the appointment of a Bukharan Sayyid Ajall Shams al-Din Omar by Kublai Khan saw a major influx of Muslim influence into the region though not enough to supplant Buddhism. Today the Dali Kingdom is now Yun Nan province in China. The coins of the Dali Kingdom are rare and not often recorded in numismatic books. They featured often crude calligraphy and build as well inscriptions which are different from the Chinese regnal tradition such as 水官通寶，火官通寶 and this rarer 太平信寶。
Loong Siew, Congratulations on being able to attribute this cash coin ! You obviously have a great interest in the cultures of Western China & Chinese history in general. The only thing I know about Yunnan Province is the remarkable cuisine from that area & of course the jade carving done there. Yunnan food is a unique mix of Bai, Mongolian, & Indian cultures, unlike most food we think of as Chinese. Being on the border of Burma (known as Myanmar today), Yunnan craftsmen have developed a large jade carving industry using Burmese jadeite. About 20 years ago a friend visiting China gave me a jadeite pendant carved in Yunnan Province, see photo below, about 53 mm long. Below that is a jadeite pendant well beyond my financial means carved by the famous Yunnan carver Dong Chunyu.
Thanks @Al Kowsky . Yes. you are right about my primary interest over Chinese History. My primary theme has been Chinese, pre-Islamic silk road and Eastern Asian culture in particular. You can see my previous postings here in the past have been predominantly on this area of focus. I have personally not been to Yunnan but it has always fascinated me being how culturally diverse it is and how many South East Asian civilisations apparently has their roots from here (e.g. Cham, Thai and Malay). To me it is truly a melting pot of cultures where you can see many minorities making up a diverse culture here for centuries. Those jade artifacts you show are really some work of art! Even I can't afford them. The only other stuff I have around here are Qing coins from Yunnan mint and saddle success.
