"Dirty" Jiangsi Silver Ingots
An interesting story tells that Jiangsi silver ingots were the favorite kind of sycee among guardians of silver treasuries during the Ching Dynasty-
It was a mandate in the Ching Dynasty that the guardians of silver treasuries,
whose duties including the transport of sycee, should be naked when moving the
sycee in and out the treasuries. This was a means to ensure that the silver
would not be carried away while being handled by the workers.
This mandate, however, did not succeed in stopping them from
stealing the treasured sycee. Even when working naked, the guardians were
still able to smuggle out sycee without being detected. They did this by
stuffing sycee into their anuses!
When presented with a choice of various types of sycee to
smuggle by this approach, "Jiangsi silver ingots" were the
guardians' preferred kind due to the characteristic smooth and streamlined
shape, and because the size was manageable...
Gradually, this tactic of stealing sycee from treasuries
became generally known to the public, and as a result, many restaurants
refused to accept payments paid in Jiangsi silver ingots by their
customers , because the businessmen considered this type of silver as
"dirty" and "unsanitary" money.
The story didn't further specify the type of "Jiangsi silver
ingots" which were the favorite of smugglers. As we know, there are
Jiangsi sycee in different shapes, but our guess is that the Jiangsi
Round
as shown above should be the one.
Now, here is a suggestion to sycee collectors: When buying a Jiangsi
Round, first wash it thoroughly!
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