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A Chinese coin dating back to the 11
th century was discovered in a village in England, indicating possible interaction between Britain and East Asia during that time period.
The 25mm copper-alloy medieval coin believed to date back to the Northern Song dynasty period was unearthed in the village of Hampshire, according to the Independent.
Cambridge University historian Dr. Caitlin Green, says that despite initial doubts by some, it may be a genuine find. This is the second such coin found in England; the first was discovered in Cheshire in 2018.
“The fact that we now have two, rather than one, 11th-century Northern Song dynasty coins from England, both recovered from what seem to be medieval to early modern sites, adds weight to the case for considering them genuinely ancient losses,” Dr. Green wrote in a blog post. Green highlighted the fact that the Northern Song dynasty minted them in such vast numbers that they remained in circulation long after the dynasty e
An eleventh-century Chinese coin unearthed in Hampshire provides new evidence of a bustling trade in luxury goods from the Far East more than 700 years ago.
The copper coin, which was found by a detectorist at Buriton, Hampshire, around nine miles from the coast, weighs 0.12 ounces (3.6g) and has a diameter of just under an inch (25mm).
Researchers believe it was minted between 1008 and 1016, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song dynasty, and arrived in Britain around the 13th or 14th century, when luxury Chinese pottery was being widely imported.
The coin has the inscription Xiangfu yuanbao (祥符元寶) in traditional Chinese characters on one side and a central square hole, allowing multiple coins of its type to be strung together.
December 16, 2020
A huge, headless statue of a stone Buddha, measuring 9m high, has been discovered amid a residential complex in Chongqing, China.
Daidu
An enormous headless statue of Buddha, believed to date back to the Qing dynasty, has been discovered in southwestern China.
The 9m-high (30-foot) statue, with its head missing, was uncovered on a cliff between two high-rise residential buildings in the Nanan district of Chongqing.
It is not clear when the statue was carved and local authorities are still investigating its cultural value, according to the district government’s information office, Chongqing Radio reported.
The statue aroused attention recently after a number of internet users posted its image on social media. Many residents who have lived nearby for decades said they were unaware of its existence.
By Yucatan Times on December 14, 2020
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Chinese Jews in Kaifeng, China (Photo: Brooklyn Public LIbrary)
For this year’s Hanukkah, Amir is lighting menorah candles and reciting blessings to celebrate the holiday’s eight nights, as many Jews are around the world.
But he does so in secret, worried that Chinese officials will come around – as they often do on religious occasions – to enforce a ban against Judaism, pressuring him to renounce his faith. Sometimes, he’s even called in for interrogations.
“Every time we celebrate, we are scared,” said Amir, not his real name as he asked not to be identified over worries of retaliation. “Whatever we do, we’re always very careful to make sure the authorities don’t find out.”
China s tiny Jewish community in fear as Beijing erases its history
Despite numbering only a thousand, China s Jews are falling foul of Beijing s campaign against non-sanctioned religions
13 December 2020 • 8:00am
The graveyard of a Jewish family in a cemetery in Kaifeng
Credit: Daily Telegraph
For this year’s Hanukkah, Amir is lighting menorah candles and reciting blessings to celebrate the holiday’s eight nights, as many Jews are around the world.
But he does so in secret, worried that Chinese officials will come around – as they often do on religious occasions – to enforce a ban against Judaism, pressuring him to renounce his faith. Sometimes, he’s even called in for interrogations.