Shell is the earliest currency.

The earliest currencies were all physical currencies. Any physical object can be used as currency, and many things were bartered. Currency is the earliest recognized and widely used currency. With the development of dynasties, different dynasties and countries have different monetary systems, which is the emergence of knife coins and cloth coins. After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, he abolished the original national currencies and realized the unification of currencies.

From disorder to unified shape.

From the copper coins of Shang Dynasty to the coins of Warring States, the coins of various dynasties have various shapes. During the Warring States period, not only countries minted their own currencies, but also vassal regions minted their own currencies. The shovel coins of Zhao State, the round hole coins of Qin State and the knife coins of Qi State have different shapes and cannot be managed in a unified way. It was not until Qin Shihuang unified the six countries that the chaotic state of ancient money ended, and it changed from different forms to unity. The shape in front of Qin plate beam, round square hole, has been used until the Republic of China. It can be said that unified currency management is also very convenient, and any region and dynasty can be interconnected.

The evolution from metal coins to paper money.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, with the development of economy and the increase of currency circulation, physical currency undoubtedly occupied a large area and was inconvenient, and it was easy to be remembered by thieves when carried, and the materials for making money were also in short supply. Later, in order to make up for the shortage of copper coins, the government created paper money in the Northern Song Dynasty, which facilitated people from south to north to do business and gradually entered the paper money era. There is also an important currency conversion. Jiaozi is also the earliest paper money and the earliest paper money in the world. However, due to unreasonable operation, a credit crisis has been triggered, resulting in the ultimate ownership only belonging to the government.

With the development of human civilization, money has been updated many times, from all kinds of objects to money, and then to the gradual formation of orientation. This development process is still a relatively long period.