The Battleground Site of Jiangkou in Sichuan Province, China: The Mid-Seventeenth-Century Gold and Silver Objects of Zhang Xianzhong

Jiangkou, China, is the battleground site where, in 1646, Zhang Xianzhong, the peasant uprising leader, fought against Yang Zhan, the general of the Southern Ming government. The fierce and powerful Zhang Xianzhong was defeated in this battle, and his enormous quantities of gold and silver objects sank to the bottom of the Min River. From archaeological excavations conducted from 2016 to 2020, the excavators have confirmed that Zhang Xianzhong's objects are dominated by gold and silver items, ingots, coins, and jewels. The discovery at the battleground of Jiangkou is important because almost all of the remains are firsthand historical materials that are useful in studying the politics, economy, and military affairs of the Ming dynasty during the 17th century.