Ying Yuan

Ying Yuan (Chinese: 郢爰; pinyin: yǐng yuán) were stamped blocks of gold bullion.

[1] They have been unearthed in various locations south of the Yellow River indicating that they were products of the State of Chu.

[1] One of the characters in their inscription is often a monetary unit or weight which is normally read as yuan (Chinese: 爰; pinyin: yuán).

[2] Another inscription that is sometimes found on these ancient gold blocks is chen yuan (陳爰).

[1] It is probable that these were funeral money, not circulating currency, as they are found in tombs, but the gold ones are not.