CHINA: AE charm (60.54g), CCH-468, 68mm, wu xing da bu on either side, VF, RR, ex Dr. Axel Wahlstedt Collection. A charm type derived from the Northern Zhou Dynasty coin cast during the reign of Emperor Wu. The inscription wu xing da bu translates as "large coin of the five elements." The ancient Chinese relied on the Five Elements (wu xing) to explain all that was on Earth and the structure of the universe. They believed that all of nature consisted of these Five Elements, namely metal (jin), wood (mu), water (shui), fire (huo) and earth (tu). This charm type was likely cast in the Ming dynasty.
