Coin suggests past Chinese-African trade

Richard Giedroyc -

Yongle Tongbao coins of 15th century China are back in the news as Chinese and Kenyan archaeologists continue to study the coins as artifacts as they connect the dots regarding past trade between China and the East African region.

According to an article posted Oct. 20 on AfrikNews, “The story of a small rusted coin with a square hole in the middle will certainly rewrite the dynamics of China-Africa relations and give impetus to China-Africa trade.”

Professor Qin Dashu of the Department of Archaeology at Beijing University is leading the Chinese team that is working closely with Kenyan archaeologists. According to Qin, “These coins were carried only by envoys of the emperor, Chengzu.” (Chengzu was from the Ming Dynasty.

Qin suggested the coin his team has been studying may have been a gift from the emperor. It was issued between 1403 and 1424, and was discovered recently in the northern town of Malindi, Kenya.

The time frame of the minting of the coin and the location at which it was discovered are both important. According to Chinese records, the Chinese Muslim eunuch Zheng He was the admiral of Emperor Zhu Di’s (Yong Le) fleet during this time. It is believed the admiral commandeered a fleet of more than 200 ships across the Indian Ocean from China to Eastern Africa in two expeditions, one between 1417 and 1419 and a second between 1431 and 1433. During the trips the fleet is said to have traveled the coastline, trading with people in what are today Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania.

Several years ago Kenyan fishermen from Lamu dredged up a 15th century Chinese vase in their nets, a find that appears to correspond to reports of shipwrecks within Zheng’s fleet during a storm. The yet to be substantiated local story is that survivors from the wreck came to live with the local natives, marrying some of the women.

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