In the first month of Guangxu's thirteenth year (1887), Zhang Zhidong, then governor of Guangzhou and Guangzhou, set up the Guangdong Money Bureau and changed it to the Guangdong Mint. The machine coinage was completed in February of Guangxu's fifteenth year (1889). In April, the trial-casting machine Fangkong copper coin "Guangxu Tongbao" was started, and the endorsement of "Kuping one coin", Manchu, and the coin was as heavy as paper, and in the same year. In August, it was officially issued and circulated, which was the first mechanism of square hole copper coin in our country. Later, due to the loss of money, the factory was allowed to produce eight-point "Guangxu Tongbao" mechanism, Fangkong copper coin, with the word "Baoguang" in Manchu, which was used in conjunction with the old money on the market and the former "Kuping one coin".
These two sets of Tongbao copper coins in Guangxu, one of which is a wrong version of the coin (perforated dislocation), the shape of which is outside the sky, inland law, inside and outside the circle, the meaning is exquisite. It has natural luster, moderate decorative depth, beautiful appearance and good taste. The front of the coin is written in regular script. Its characters are read directly from top to bottom, right to left. The back of the money is different from the back of the money. One square hole cast Chinese "Pingku Yiqian", left and right cast Manchu and Chinese "Guang". The other square hole cast Manchu "Baoguang". The whole set of coins, with clear outlines, elegant fonts and good taste, belongs to the beauty of ancient coins, and has high historical value, artistic value and collection value.
Guangxu Tongbao is the first commercial money minted by introducing foreign coinage methods in the history of coinage in China. It adopts the shape of a square hole with an outer circle, and inscribes the word "Guangxu Tongbao" in italics according to the direction of upper, lower, right and left. It is reported that most of the characters of Guangxu Tongbao are regular scripts, of course, a small part of the Mint Bureau uses seal scripts. Its calligraphy embodies Xianfeng's regular script style, with both rigidity and softness. It is even thought that these calligraphy surpassed the prosperity of the Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties.