东汉 青铜摇钱树
Money Tree

This object represents a type of funerary good called a “money tree” (qian shu) or “money-shaking tree” (yao qian shu). In the extant texts, the term “money tree” first appeared in the eighth century A.D. It is, however, unclear if there was any connection between early discoveries and later records. Based on about two hundred examples known to us, the use of money trees in Han China was prevalent in the southwest and was popular from the first to third century A.D.