Did Qin Shi Huang unify the currency? Why was Qin Shi Huang able to unify the currency?

Qin Quanqian" - a symbol of Qin Shi Huang's unified currency Regarding the power of money, as early as the Qing Jiadao period, Dai Xi (Chunshi) recorded it in the "Guquan Conghua". Bao Kang (Zi Nian) in the Tongzhi period printed a rubbing map of power and money in his "Guan Gu Ge Spring Theory", and there was also a saying of "power and money". In 1940, Ding Fubao's "Dictionary of Ancient Coins" also contained relevant descriptions and rubbings, all of which were considered to be rare treasures in the world (the original coins contained in the book were missing).

This piece of money (see attached picture) was found in Xi'an in the early 50s of the last century, and when Guquan Fang Yaoyu saw this "seventeenth and four taels" money, he sighed and said: "I have been searching for rare ancient money for decades, and I have not had the opportunity to meet the real Qin power money, and it is a blessing to see it today!" This Yin inscription "the seventeenth heavy four taels" is the only one of the Qin power coins found and surviving so far, it is a symbol of the Qin Dynasty's unified currency and strengthening the centralization of power, and it is a national treasure comparable to the "Shang Dynasty Fangsheng" that is also the unified weights and measures of the Qin Dynasty in the collection of the Shanghai Museum.

In order to ensure the implementation of a unified monetary policy, the Qin Dynasty not only minted a large number of "half taels" money, but also minted a small number of "heavy four taels" Qin power money. At that time, the Qin Dynasty strictly stipulated that only the imperial court had the right to mint money, and it was strictly forbidden for the private to mint money. Qin "half tael" is a legal tender currency, there are strict regulations, according to the Qin system, the weight of each coin is equivalent to about 8 grams now.

In order to put an end to private casting, test the weight of "half tael" money, specially cast a kind of heavy power money (also known as law money), there are "heavy four taels" on the left and right sides of the face text, there are certain number symbols above and below the perforation, as a standard for measurement. According to the standard of this coin, one coin should be equal to the weight of 8 "half taels" coins, if 8 "half taels" coins are not equal to the weight of one coin, it means that the standard is not met. It can be seen that the minting of this kind of power money played a very important role in supervising and regulating the circulation of coins in the whole country at that time, further consolidating the exclusive status of the "half tael" money, and ensuring the implementation of a unified monetary policy.

Unified, some of the knife coins, ant nose money and other currencies at that time were all abolished, and a unified currency was issued, half a tael, which was the earliest round copper coin, with a square hole in the middle, because it was issued in the Qin Dynasty, so it was generally called: Qin half two coins.

Yes, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the currencies used by the six countries were different, and after Qin Shi Huang unified the country, the currency was rectified, and the unified currency was copper coins.

Qin Shi Huang not only unified the currency, but also unified the written language, weights and measures.

Qin Shi Huang unified the currency, but also unified the weights and measures.

Some unify weights and measures, including money.

The description of this question is a bit awkward. In fact, the process of Qin Shi Huang's unification of the currency was not achieved overnight, but gradually, during the conquest of the Six Kingdoms, the currency of the Qin State has been slowly transmitted to all countries, but after the unification of the Six Kingdoms, the official decree was issued to unify the currency into half a tael of the Qin State. To understand this question, we must first know the currency situation of various countries in the pre-Qin period.

The currency of various countries during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

During the pre-Qin period, the writing of different countries was different, and the currencies used at the same time were also different. The currencies of the vassal states in the pre-Qin period can be generally divided into four major monetary systems: cloth coins, knife coins, yuan coins, and copper shell (ant nose coins).

According to the physical coins excavated by archaeological excavations, roughly in Luoyi (now Luoyang), the capital city directly ruled by the Zhou royal family, and its surrounding areas, as well as in the Sanjin Dynasty (Shanxi, Hebei) area, the empty shou cloth evolved from the agricultural tool shovel, and later evolved into the flat shou cloth, collectively known as cloth coins.

Yan Pei Daiguo, Zhao State, and Qi State began to mint knife coins from the late Spring and Autumn period.

Qi State Sword Coins. The state of Qin used yuan money. It is a round and perforated currency that was first minted by the Wei state. There are about 20 kinds of coins that have been discovered, which were minted by Wei, Zhao, Eastern Zhou, Western Zhou, Qin, Qi, Yan and other countries.

The state of Chu in the south used copper shells, that is, ant-nose money. In addition, the state of Chu also cast a gold plate, which was weighed and used.

Antnose money is really cute, there is wood.

The currency after the unification of Qin.

As mentioned earlier, after the unification of the Qin State, it used half a tael of money, while the Qin State used Yuan Qian in the Warring States. So half a tael is a newly minted currency after the unification of Qin?

Qin half two dollars. It is recorded in the Historical Records and Pingzhun Book: "As far as Qin, the currency of a country in China is second-class, and ** is the upper currency in the name of Eridium; The copper coin is said to be half a tael, as heavy as its text, and it is the next coin. ”

This account of Sima Qian has indeed misled everyone for thousands of years, thinking that the Qin half tael coin was minted by Qin Shi Huang's unification into a unified currency. Until archaeologists found Qin half two coins in a number of Warring States tombs. Since the 50s of the 20th century, archaeologists have unearthed half a tael of coins in the archaeological excavation of the Qin tombs of the Warring States Period in Ba County, Sichuan Province, Haojiaping in Qingchuan County, the Warring States Ship Coffin Tomb in Lupujiang County, Peijia, and Talpo, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province.

At this time, scholars realized that Qin Yuan Qian was Qin Half and Two Coins.

Therefore, Qin's half-tael coins existed as early as the Warring States Period, and as Qin's expansion spread to the six countries, it gradually took the currency of the six countries, and finally realized the unification of the currency. Qin's measures to unify the national currency system were formulated by Prime Minister Li Si, and the specific contents are as follows:

The types and names of coins are specified.

There are two kinds of unified currency, one is the same value as *****, and the other is half a tael.

The shape and unit of the coin were unified, that is, half a tael, a round square hole, and the unit was half a tael.

It is forbidden for the private sector to mint coins without permission.

Legislation for numismatics was enacted.

Half a tael. At the end of the Warring States Period, in the second year of King Huiwen of Qin (336 BC), the "first line of money" refers to the popularity of the Qin State when the royal family began to mint money, marking the establishment of the Qin royal family's exclusive currency minting system. After Qin Shi Huang unified China, he abolished the large and chaotic currencies of the six countries, such as knives, cloths, Yingzhan and shell coins, which were circulated during the Warring States Period, and the large and chaotic currencies of different sizes, nuclear punches, weights, and values, and implemented the policy of Qin's unified currency and the half-tael coins with round square holes throughout the country.

Historical Records Pingzhun Shu Suoyin" quoted "Ancient and Modern Notes": "Qin money is half a tael, one inch and two cents in diameter, and weighs twelve baht. "Today, I see that the size of Qin Banliang is different, the diameter of the money is generally centimeters, and it weighs about 8 grams.

Qian Wen is protruding and narrow, slightly curved. There is no inner and outer Guo, and the back is plain. Some weigh more than 10 grams, or even weigh more than 20 grams, or "when a hundred dollars" contained in "Suo Yin".