First, the currency of China in the pre-Qin period was Northern Currency. At first, natural shells were used as money in Shang dynasty, among which tooth shells were more common, and the scientific name was cargo shells. Later, due to the shortage of real shellfish, it was replaced by various imitation shellfish, including mussels, bone shellfish, stone shellfish, pottery shellfish, copper shellfish and so on. After the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, metal coins became popular, and North coins gradually lost their monetary qualification. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, governors dominated the whole country, and there were four forms of money: cloth money, knife money, money and ant nose money. The early cloth coins evolved from agricultural tools. The first kind can hold the handle and is called "empty cloth". Because it looks like a shovel, it is also called "shovel cloth". Later, it was reduced in size and cast into a flat head, including pointed foot cloth, square foot cloth, round foot cloth and special-shaped cloth. The circulation is mainly in the Sanjin area, where Qi, Yan, Zhao and other countries cast knife coins, which are transformed from practical knives, including pointed knives, Qi knives, Ming knives and Zhao knives. The circulation scope is second only to cloth coins. Money is a round currency with a round hole on it, which originated from the spinning wheel or Yuhuan, and is mostly circulated in Qin and Wei countries. In the late Warring States period, Qin had square holes, and Yan and Qi also had castings. Ant nose money is the currency of Chu State, which looks like shell money and is generally considered as the advanced form of copper shell. In addition, the Chu State also circulates gold coins with a square printed on it, which is the earliest gold coin in China.

2. Currency from Qin and Han Dynasties to Sui Dynasty In 22 BC1year, Qin Shihuang unified the currency of China. In the Qin dynasty, gold was the upper currency and copper was the lower currency. The copper coin is a round square hole named "Half Liang" with a standard weight of 12 baht. Square-hole round coins became the basic currency of feudal society in China. In the early Western Han Dynasty, coins used their old names, but their actual weight gradually decreased. Five years after Emperor Wu ascended the throne (before 1 18), he began to cast five baht, which varied in size because of the free casting in various places. In the fourth year of Ding Yuan (former 1 13), the imperial court specially ordered Shanglin Sanguan (all losers, bronze connoisseurs and Zhong Guan) to cast money, which prohibited casting in this county. After implementing the unified casting policy, the five baht money is used up and the weight is appropriate;

Thirdly, during the reign of Wang Mang at the end of the Western Han Dynasty (9-23 AD), many monetary reforms were carried out, and knives, cloth, turtles, shells and other forms were adopted, all of which failed because they could not be implemented. The Eastern Han Dynasty resumed casting five baht, and by the early years of Di Xian's Pingping, when Dong Zhuo was in power, the bad five baht was even worse, which was terrible. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was a long-term war, a split between the North and the South, and chaotic currency circulation. In many areas, grain and silk are used as currency, and five baht is often used to rectify the monetary system. At that time, copper coins began to be counted by "Wen", and thousands of them were "Guan". The name of the coin has also changed, and there is an annual coin.

Fourth, in the early Tang Dynasty and Sui Dynasty, the old Qian Gaozu Wude spent four years (62 1), and abandoned five baht to cast "Kaiyuan Bao Tong" or read "Kai Yuan Bao". Every ten pieces weigh one or two, and the measurement system is changed to the decimal system of two, money, minutes and minutes. Copper coins no longer use weight names, which had a far-reaching impact on the reform of ancient weighing system in China. Although copper coins were widely used in the Tang Dynasty, gold and silver were used in Lingnan and money and silk were used in the Mainland. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, large coins were popular, and lead and iron coins were also widely used, so the currency circulation was obviously local.

5. In the first year of Zhongtong in Yuan Shizu (1260), the banknotes of Zhongtong Yuanbao were issued and then sent to Tongyuan Baohang. The former was used for a long time. In the third year of Zhiyuan (1266), the word "Yuanbao" was engraved on the silver ingot, which was called Yuanbao in the Yuan Dynasty, which meant treasure. In the Yuan Dynasty, the paper currency circulation system was implemented, and there were not many copper coins, including Chinese characters and Mongolian coins.

Six, Ming and Qing currency Ming Hongwu eight years (1375) issued Daming Bao Tong banknotes, both rich and banknotes. Later, because the circulation of paper money was blocked, copper coins were minted during Jiajing period. The official copper coins in Ming dynasty were called "casting money" to distinguish them from the old money in circulation and the private money at present. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, silver became the main currency, and money was used for small payments. In the Qing dynasty, silver was used for large numbers and money was used for decimals. The front of making money is Chinese, and the back is Manchu. The system of casting money in the early Qing Dynasty is more perfect than tomorrow, and the amount of casting money is very large. Silver has different casting forms and different weights. Large ingots generally weigh 50 taels and are horseshoe-shaped, which are called "Yuanbao", "Yin Bao" or "horseshoe silver"; The medium ingot weighs about 10, and most of them are counter weight-shaped, and the ingot is called small ingot; Small ingots are generally in the shape of steamed bread and weigh about1~ 5; Broken silver is collectively called "broken silver" and its weight is generally below 1.

Seven, Guangdong in Guangxu 14th to 15th years (1888 ~ 1889) with a large number of machines casting "Guangxu Yuanbao" silver dollar, weighing seven cents and two cents, the coin pattern is Panlong, commonly known as "Yang Long".

8. During the Republic of China, the Beiyang government promulgated 19 14 National Monetary Regulations. The national currency is still yuan, Yuan Shikai's head is carved into silver dollar, which is widely circulated and gradually tends to replace Yang Long and foreign silver dollars, but the status of the silver dollar system is still unshakable. 1927, the Nanjing National Government minted the silver dollar of Sun Yat-sen's head, which was circulated at the same time as the yuan coin. 1935165438+10, the Nanjing government implemented the legal tender policy, and the bank notes issued by the Central Bank, Bank of China and Bank of Communications (later Agricultural Bank of China) were legal tender, and the circulation of silver dollars was prohibited.

9. 1948 In August, gold certificates were issued to replace legal tender.