Emperor TongZhi was the 8th Qing emperor of imperial China. His reign was relatively short, lasting only 12 years. He was the only son of Emperor XianFeng, when he ascended the throne at the age of five. China was ruled under the regency of Empress Dowager Cixi. Imperial China was already in decline for past decades prior to his ascension to the throne. The coins issued during this period was also relatively in poor quality reflecting the dismal state of the Chinese economy of that period.