Tiger-shaped token, fu, used to authenticate an imperial military order. Possibly excavated on Lincheng, Shandong Province, Qin dynasty, 221 - 206 BCE. Bronze inlaid with gold characters, length 8.9 cm, National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing. © The Israel Museum

Detail: head. Tiger-shaped token, fu, used to authenticate an imperial military order. Possibly excavated on Lincheng, Shandong Province, Qin dynasty, 221 - 206 BCE. Bronze inlaid with gold characters, length 8.9 cm, National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing. © The Israel Museum

Detail: gold letterings. Tiger-shaped token, fu, used to authenticate an imperial military order. Possibly excavated on Lincheng, Shandong Province, Qin dynasty, 221 - 206 BCE. Bronze inlaid with gold characters, length 8.9 cm, National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing. © The Israel Museum