introduction
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there is a small story about Meng Tianjun. According to legend, Meng Tianjun had three thousand diners (doormen), which brought him a great expense, in order to feed these people, Meng Tianjun put loans in his fiefdom Xuecheng, relying on interest to earn income. However, at that time, the peasants were poor and most of them could not afford to pay back the money, so Meng Yujun sent Feng Qi to collect debts.
"History" - Yi into is not enough to serve guests, so that people pay Xue. If you don't get in for more than a year, most of the borrowers can't pay their interest, and the guests will not give it.
After Feng Biao arrived at Xuecheng, he first collected 100,000 yuan, and then he used this money to hold a large banquet and entertain the people of Xuecheng. At the banquet, Feng Biao and the debtor agreed on a date for repayment, and for those who could not afford to pay back, Feng Biao burned their IOUs. Afterwards, Meng Yujun was furious and asked why, Feng Biao said: "Those who can't afford to pay back, no matter how much they urge them, they should not be able to pay back, they still can't afford it, such as burning the IOUs, so that the people love you more."
The above incident tells the simple and kind qualities of the ancients, and at the same time reflects that the financial economy has spread to ordinary people, and the carrier of this economy is coins. The earliest mention of coins in the history books is during the Zhou JingWang period, which was in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and the story of Meng Yijun occurred at the end of the Warring States period. In this short period of several hundred years, with the help of merchants, metal coins have developed rapidly.
Round money
Round money was born around the middle of the Warring States period, and the countries used should first be two weeks (Zhou Tianzi's fiefdom, which was later divided into two parts), and then spread to all sides, and Qin, Zhao and other countries also used round money. After Qin Shi Huang pacified the Six Kingdoms, in order to strengthen the unity of culture, he began to mint a unified currency, because round money saved materials and was convenient to carry, and naturally became the first choice.
Later, until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the round coin has always been the main image of Chinese coins, and the shape of the outer circle and the inner square have been maintained for more than two thousand years, and even developed the saying of "heavenly round place". But in the early days, the hole in the center of the round coin was not a square, but was circular, like its outer edge.
This image of the outer circle and the inner circle did not appear out of thin air, but borrowed from the jade bi at that time, the appearance of the jade bi can be much earlier than the metal coin, its own meaning includes wealth and power, and the jade bi can also be used as an exchange item. On this basis, round money was born.
As for why the void in the middle changed from round to square? That's because ancient metal coins were minted and formed, because the mold was irregular, so that the round money needed to be polished after being minted. For the sake of convenience, the craftsmen will string the round money tightly together with wooden sticks, and with a little common sense, they will know that the square is more used than the round.
Cloth coins
Although there is a "cloth" in the name of this coin, he does not use cloth as a material, let alone a coin specifically designed for cloth trading. The origin of this name is actually related to his shape, there is a kind of agricultural tool in ancient China, the name is "pewterium", which is actually the prototype of today's shovel. Ancient China has always been based on agriculture, and it is reasonable to mint coins in the shape of shovels. Because the pronunciation of "plutonium" and "cloth" is similar, the name "cloth coin" appears.
Cloth coins were extremely widely circulated, encompassing almost all the countries of the Warring States. The early cloth coins were made entirely in the shape of a tweezer, and the upper end of the cloth coin was hollow, which could be inserted into a small wooden stick and held in the hand, which was a miniature version of the shovel. Later, with the increase in the amount of use, it was too much trouble to mint the cloth coin like this, so the cloth coin had a second form, and the first end was flat like the whole.
It is worth mentioning that when the earlier cloth coins were unearthed, it was found that these cloth coins were very large, and they could be used as agricultural tools after being inserted with wooden sticks. It can be seen that the sentence "cloth coins are minted in the shape of cadmium" is not accurate, and it should be that the nephronum has gradually evolved into a metal coin because of its own value and popularity.
Knife coins
The same as the cloth coin, the shape of the knife coin is also out of the tool, that is, we are familiar with the knife, the role of the knife in the Spring and Autumn Warring States period is very large, in addition to being used for war, when harvesting in the autumn, when cutting food, all need to use a knife, the knife coin is also produced. Compared with cloth coins, knife coins have more collectible value because of their unique shape and relatively small quantity.
The circulation of knife coins is not as extensive as that of cloth coins, mainly concentrated in the Lu and Yan countries. Among them, the luguo sword coin is large, and the tip of the knife is all pointed and exquisitely crafted. The sword coins of the Yan Kingdom were relatively small, and the tip of the knife was round or square. For example, the State of Qi, while representing value, also proved the strong national strength of the State of Qi at that time.
Ant nose money
Ant nose money is also called copper shell, and unlike other coins, the shape of the ant nose money is not an artifact and a practical tool, but a shell that is very common on the seashore, compared to other metal coins, the origin of ant nose money is more ancient. In ancient times, the shell, as a symbol of reproduction, has always been a very valuable thing, and people often wear it on the body as an ornament.
In the Shang Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty, the value of shells was still very high, and over time, shells had the role of exchanging goods, so shell coins were produced. But because shells are an extremely accessible thing by the sea, there are many irrationalities in shell coins. In view of this situation, the Chu people cast bronze into the shape of a shell to solve the phenomenon that shells are too common on the seashore.
In fact, the name of "ant nose money" only appeared in later generations, which should be called copper shells at that time, because the surface of copper shells is generally engraved with words, so some people also call this coin "grimace money". Judging from the location of the copper shell, this metal currency should only pass through the Chu State Stream at that time.
epilogue
With the popularity of metal money, the industry and commerce of the Warring States period has developed rapidly, enjoying a luxurious life is no longer the privilege of the princes, many merchants will also be respected by others because of the huge wealth in their hands, they are called "Su Feng", the consciousness is that there is no official position and Feng Lu, but there are as many people in the hands of the property and the people who have been enfeoffed.
"History" - There is no rank of the lu today, the entry of the knight, and the music of the comparison, the fate of "Su Feng".
But behind this magnificence, there is also a bad side, the benefits of the monetary economy, did not let everyone realize that the peasants are still hungry, but also have to face the harsh taxes of feudal rulers.
Literature references "History", "Chinese", "Monetary And Character Examination", "Dictionary of Finance and Economics"