Kollam: As debate intensifies in China over claims that the Tang dynasty never existed, evidence from Kollam’s coast offers a different historical perspective.

Chinese coins unearthed during the deepening of Kollam port in 2014 were identified by historians as belonging partly to the Tang dynasty. The Archaeology Department later reached the same conclusion after examining the age of the coins.

A total of 1,252 coins were recovered during the work.

The coins are currently preserved under the Department of Archaeology at the University of Kerala.

Coins belonging to the Northern Song and Southern Song dynasties were also recovered from Kollam.

The coins are circular and have a square-shaped hole in the centre. Copper was used as the base metal.

While several countries of the period produced coins by hammering and flattening metal, these Chinese coins were made using the traditional mould-casting method followed in China.

According to the study, five of the coins recovered from Kollam were conclusively identified as Tang dynasty coins.

The oldest among them was a bronze Qian Yuan Zhong Bao coin issued during the reign of Emperor Suzong between AD 759 and 762. Suzong was the 10th emperor of the Tang dynasty.

The discovery provides archaeological evidence of the connections between Kollam and China during the Tang period.

The Tang period, from the seventh to the 10th century, was a time when the land and maritime Silk Routes were at their most active.

Kollam was an important stopover in maritime trade between China and Persia during this period. The port’s location on the Kerala coast made it an important centre in the region’s wider maritime trade network.

Accounts by Arab travellers who visited Kollam during these centuries also refer to Chinese ships arriving at the port, anchoring there and paying duties.

The discovery has gained renewed relevance as theories claiming that the Tang dynasty never existed have spread among young people and on social media in China.

Content creator Qiao Yu was reportedly the first to put forward the claim. His account was later removed by the Chinese authorities.