AE 5 Zhu

Struck: 115 – 113 B.C.
Mint:
Size: 24mm
Weight: 3.43g
Die Axis: 0°
Grade: gVF
Ref: Hartill 8.6

Obv: Wu Zhu.
Rev: Blank as made.
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Wu of Han (also translated as Han Wudi) was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty of China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His 54 year reign resulted in vast territorial expansion, development of a strong and centralized state resulting from his governmental re-organization, including his promotion of Confucian doctrines. In the field of historical social and cultural studies, Emperor Wu is known for his religious innovations and patronage of the poetic and musical arts, including development of the imperial Music Bureau into a prestigious entity. It was also during his reign that cultural contact with western Eurasia was greatly increased resulting in an exchange of ideas, crops and trade goods.

As a military campaigner, Wu led Han China through its greatest expansion. At its height, the Empire's borders spanned from modern Kyrgyzstan in the west, to Korea in the east, and to northern Vietnam in the south. Wu successfully repelled the nomadic Xiongnu from systematically raiding northern China and dispatched his envoy Zhang Qian in 139 BC to seek an alliance with the Yuezhi of modern Uzbekistan. This resulted in further missions to Central Asia

While establishing an autocratic and centralized state, Emperor Wu adopted the principles of Confucianism as the state philosophy and code of ethics for his empire and started a school to teach future administrators the Confucian classics. These reforms would have an enduring effect throughout the existence of imperial China and an enormous influence on neighboring civilizations.

Emperor Wu died on March 29, 87 B.C. He is buried in the Maoling mound, the most famous of the so-called Chinese pyramids.