Four Chinese characters Yong Li Tong Bao / Blank. 25mm, 3.75 grams. Hartill 21.45.

Type with a one-dot Tong. Ex-Steve Album, from an old US collection.

Prince Yongming was a minor royal figure during the Southern Ming period (1644–1662), the era when remnants of the Ming dynasty attempted to resist the newly established Qing dynasty after the fall of Beijing. Following the collapse of the main Ming dynasty, various Ming princes fled south and set up short-lived courts in regions like Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Prince Yongming was one of these Ming claimants, though he did not play a major political or military role compared to figures like the Yongli Emperor. His significance lies more in symbolizing the fragmented and desperate efforts of the Ming loyalists to preserve their dynasty. Like many such princes, he likely lived under precarious conditions and faded from the historical record as Qing forces consolidated control over southern China.