M

We have a winner!

Congratulations to 10-year-old Muduo Wang from Cothill House Prep School in Oxfordshire for his story ‘M’. Muduo's story of an old Chinese coin captured the imagination of our judge Onjali Q Rauf. He has won a set of coins for himself and £5,000 worth of equipment and books for his school library.

Transcript

M by Muduo Wang

Baldwin’s Auction, London 2023

Standing straight, with my chest up, my stomach in, I put my best self on display! I am 364 years old, round and flat with a square hole in my middle. My coppery skin has long been stained with blotches of rust. ‘Lot 68, 17th-century Chinese coin, asking bid £45!’ Nervous and excited, I am like a child on his first day at school. Who will be my new owner? I think of Michael, my previous one, and sigh…

Nanjing, China 1659

Freshly minted, shining brightly, I was lying among other presents for Zhuazhou, the First Birthday Ceremony. Choosing his future, a baby ignored everything else and crawled in my direction. He picked me up gently, looked intently at me and slowly smiled. “Michael is going to become a wealthy businessman!” Congratulatory cheers arose from the crowd.

Off the coast of Macau, China 1681

Golden notes of sunshine were dancing over the ocean, as Michael, the first Chinese Jesuit to reach Europe, stared out from the deck of his ship. Nestling in Michael’s pocket, on which someone had embroidered a letter M, I was imagining the wonderful new world on the other side of the sea, while feeling dizzy after last night’s storm.

London, England 1685

Michael was sitting next to King James II at dinner with other guests. He had already visited Pope Innocent XI in Rome and Louis XIV at Versailles. I was on the table, glinting! 2 Michael was wearing a peacock-blue silk robe with an orange-fringed belt tied around his waist. A matching hat was trimmed with sable fur. The King spoke: ‘I heard that people eat with chopsticks in China. I have some ivory ones. How do I use them?’ Michael proudly explored the smooth contours of the chopsticks and smiled. ‘Your Majesty, you can pick up anything with chopsticks.’ He explained. ‘Even a coin?’ Michael gently picked me up and there were cheers from the crowd.

Bodleian Library, Oxford 1687

Michael was helping Thomas Hyde create a catalogue of Chinese-language texts in the library’s collection. ‘What is this?’ Thomas asked. ‘That’s the Analects of Confucius, as important to the Chinese as the Bible is to you.’ Michael replied. Bored by their conversation, I jumped out of Michael’s sleeve and set off to have a look around the building. I rolled excitedly and happily, from books to maps, to printed ephemera … until I got stuck in a crack of a shamrock carved on an arch. 336 years later, I was rescued during a renovation, but Michael had left long ago.

Baldwin’s Auction, London 2023

‘£95 from No. 7! Any higher bid?’ ‘Final call!’ Bang! Next to the No. 7 sign, I see a boy’s face. He picks me up gently, looks intently at me and slowly smiles. He carefully puts me into a wooden box with the letter M engraved on it