Wu Zhu // Blank, inner rim on reverse. 15mm, 0.47 grams. Hartill 10.30var; Gratzer/Fishman "One Thousand Years of Wu Zhu coinage" #4.351. 

The tiny, crude copper Wu Zhu coins associated with Dong Zhuo are among the most infamous coinages in Chinese history. A famous anecdote comes from contemporary and near-contemporary sources describing how Dong Zhuo, after seizing control of the Han government in 189 CE, ordered the melting of bronze statues, bells, and other bronze objects to produce vast quantities of small wu zhu cash coins. These coins were reportedly made much smaller and lighter than earlier issues, allowing the government to strike far more pieces from the same amount of metal. The resulting inflation was severe; historical accounts claim that prices soared and public confidence in the currency collapsed. Some chronicles state that a single hu (about 20 liters) of grain rose to tens of thousands of cash, illustrating the monetary chaos attributed to his policies.

Dong Zhuo (d. 192 CE) was a powerful military leader who seized control of the Han imperial government after entering the capital of Luoyang in 189 CE. He deposed Emperor Shao and installed Emperor Xian of Han as a puppet ruler while exercising authority himself. His brutal rule, political purges, and controversial policies made him widely hated, leading to a coalition of regional warlords opposing him. Dong Zhuo was ultimately assassinated in 192 CE, but the chaos unleashed during his rise helped accelerate the collapse of the Han dynasty and the emergence of the Three Kingdoms era.