The 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization is not only poetry and songs, but also court calculations and golden iron horses. However, have you noticed that whether it is culture, official governance, or military affairs, they are inseparable from economic support, and economic development depends on the circulation of money. Money, like the blood of the economy, provides nourishment for the development of civilization. And the official Jiaozi to talk about today is an important part of the currency, and it is also a monetary innovation that has influenced it to this day.
The mainland is the first country in the world to invent and use paper money, it has been a thousand years, and the father of paper money is Xue Tian, who served as the governor of Yizhou (now Chengdu) during the Tiansheng period of the Northern Song Dynasty.
In April of the first year of Renzong Tiansheng of the Northern Song Dynasty (1023), Xue Tian was transferred to Yizhou Zhizhou, and the paper money used in Chengdu at that time - Jiaozi had been widely circulated, because Jiaozi was invented and used by the people themselves, and the management has not been standardized enough. Because the situation of occupation and misappropriation of funds by some Jiaozi shops is becoming more and more serious, disputes and lawsuits often arise due to the inability to cash in full on time or in full, causing local social contradictions.
In the face of such a situation, Xue Tian suggested that the management of private Jiaozi should be nationalized, "if the Jiaozi is not reused, it will be inconvenient to exchange resources, and ask the official to set up (Jiaozi) affairs, and prohibit the people from making private products." After several twists and turns, he finally obtained the approval of the imperial court, and Xue Tian made overall plans and personally participated in the internal organization and composition of Jiaoziwu. On November 28, 1024, the first government-run financial institution in the history of the world to issue banknotes, "Yizhou Jiaoziwu", was born, with specific responsibilities of issuance, recycling and management. After that, Xue Tian actively coordinated the printing work of Jiaozi. At that time, Xue Tian may not even have imagined that his proposal would be recorded in the history of the development of human civilization in the future, and have a far-reaching impact on Chinese history and world history.
On February 20, 1024 (April 1, 1024), Xue Tian personally presided over the issuance of the first realm of official Jiaozi in Chengdu, with a total of 1256340. Remember this date, it's not just April Fool's Day, it's the first anniversary of the issuance of banknotes in the history of world currency. With the smooth circulation of official Jiaozi, Xue Tian also became the first person in China and even the world to preside over the issuance of national legal banknotes, and is known as the "father of banknotes".
Xue Tian used his unique vision and courage to change the payment method in the circulation field at that time, which was a leapfrog progress in the history of human currency development. His position is extraordinary, and no one else can match him. Although there are no physical relics of Jiaozi, Xue Tian's extremely high prestige is enough for him to bear the reputation of "the father of paper money".
From 1024 to 2024, thousands of years later, we still cherish the people of Sichuan and the creation of Xue Tian. We will commemorate this great creation in the form of commemorative coins, and the Chinese banknotes millennium gold and silver commemorative coins will be issued soon. Let's look forward to the physical coin of this commemorative set, and see what kind of design and craftsmanship we will innovate in a thousand years.
(The historical data of the article comes from Qian Fatang Wang Jijie)