The NMC boasts a rich collection of all varieties of ancient Chinese coins which spans the entire numismatic history China. Research at the NMC on ancient coins based on its collections is conducted on a continuously basis. The Encyclopedia of Chinese Coins: From the Three Kingdoms Period through the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, to which Dong Deyi, Jian Ning and Liu Chunji contributed, is one of the most important reference books on coin research; the National Museum of China Collections Research: Coins, compiled by Wang Guanying, Wang Liyan and Jian Ning, provides a window to look into the coin collections of the NMC; the Antiquities Donated by Luo Bozhao, compiled by Wang Liyan, Sheng Weiren and Wang Yuanxue represents a thorough investigation into the relevant donated coins. Among other others, An Investigation of Cash Inscriptions by Emperors and Famous Calligraphers by Jian Ning, A Preliminary Discussion of Cash Coins Issued in the Xianfeng Era of the Qing Dynasty by Liu Chunji, An Inquiry into Paper Currency of the Great Ming and The Format of Ming-Dynasty Paper Currency by Wang Liyan, National Museum of China: An Investigation in Xiwang Shanggong Coins by Huo Hongwei, are multi-angle and multifaceted research into ancient Chinese coins.
For the present, the Numismatic Institute under the Research Institute of the NMC is committed to broadening its horizons and strengthening exchanges and collaboration with domestic and foreign institutions to encourage research into the museum’s coin collections. The upcoming international academic forum “Currency and Empire: The Exchange and Influence of Cash from a Global Perspective” has attracted a lot of interest from several dozen famous scholars in the field from domestic universities and museums as well as peers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
Full-time researcher: Wang Liyan, Director and Research Curator.