Spring and Autumn Period  
Unearthed at Fugou, Henan Province, 1974
Length: 10.5cm
Width: 6cm
Weight: 134.1g

Rectangular in shape, with a hollow head and an oval eye, this spade has an ellipse-shaped qiong handle cast onto its body. Its upper section is larger than its lower, with a slot down both sides. There is an aperture in the centre of one end of the qiong handle, with a hole at the lower end. The spade has flat shoulders, with a raised barb at the edge of each shoulder. The end of its blade is also flat,with scratching across the body.

The excavation of this hollow-headed bu spade verifies that the state of Chu used silver currency in the early Spring and Autumn period. The shape of this silver hollow-headed spade resembles the hollow-headed arch-bladed bronze spades found in the central region of China, though the Chu silver spade is distinguished by its flat blade. This find illustrates that the state of Chu did not only cast gold and bronze cowry money, but also cast silver spade money. This is another important find for the history of currency in China.