As in ancient Greece, socio-economic conditions at the time were favourable to the adoption of coinage. Archaeological evidence shows that the earliest use of spade and knife money was in the Spring and Autumn period (770РІР‚вЂњ476Р’В BCE). They are not found in coin hoards, and the probability is that all these are in fact funerary items. Although there is no doubt that the well-known spade and knife money were used as coins, it has not been demonstrated that other items often offered by dealers as coins such as fish, halberds, and metal chimes were also used as coins. While nothing is known about the use of tortoise shells as money, gold and cowries (either real shells or replicas) were used to the south of the Yellow River. With the opening of exchange between farmers, artisans, and merchants, there came into use money of tortoise shells, cowrie shells, gold, coins (Chinese: Р№РЉСћ pinyin: qiР“РЋn), knives (Chinese: Рµв‚¬Р‚ pinyin: dР”Рѓo), spades (Chinese: РµС‘С“ pinyin: bР“в„–).

The earliest coinage of China was described by Sima Qian, the great historian of c. Main article: Chinese coinage during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods 7.3 3 and 4 Zhu cash coins attributed to this period.7 The North and South Dynasties (420РІР‚вЂњ581).For example, a hoard was discovered in Jiangsu containing 4,000 Tai Qing Feng Le coins and at Zhangpu in Shaanxi, a sealed jar containing 1,000 Ban Liang coins of various weights and sizes, was discovered. Occasionally, large hoards of coins have been uncovered. Other coins were of limited circulation and are today extremely rare РІР‚вЂњ only six examples of Da Quan Wu Qian from the Eastern Wu Dynasty (222РІР‚вЂњ280) are known to exist. Some coins were produced in very large numbers РІР‚вЂњ during the Western Han, an average of 220Р’В million coins a year were produced. The coins varied in value throughout the history. At other times private coining was tolerated. Various steps were taken over time to try to combat the private coining and limit its effects and making it illegal. Aside from officially produced coins, private coining was common during many stages of history. Official coin production was not always centralised, but could be spread over many mint locations throughout the country. This was used to allow collections of coins to be threaded on a square rod so that the rough edges could be filed smooth, and then threaded on strings for ease of handling. Most Chinese coins were produced with a square hole in the middle. The ratios and purity of the coin metals varied considerably. Chinese coins were usually made from mixtures of metals such copper, tin and lead, from bronze, brass or iron: precious metals like gold and silver were uncommonly used. Chinese coins were manufactured by being cast in molds, whereas European coins were typically cut and hammered or, in later times, milled. At first the distribution of the coinage was limited to use around the capital city district, but by the beginning of the Han Dynasty, coins were widely used for such things as paying taxes, salaries and fines.Р”Р„ncient Chinese coins are markedly different from their European counterparts. Subsequent dynasties produced variations on these round coins throughout the imperial period. The beginning of the Qin Dynasty (221РІР‚вЂњ206Р’В BCE), the first dynasty to unify China, saw the introduction of a standardised coinage for the whole Empire. Round metal coins with a round, and then later square hole in the center were first introduced around 350Р’В BCE. The same period also saw the introduction of the first metal coins however, they were not initially round, instead being either knife shaped or spade shaped. These coins, used as early as the Spring and Autumn period (770РІР‚вЂњ476Р’В BCE), took the form of imitations of the cowrie shells that were used in ceremonial exchanges. Ancient Chinese coinage includes some of the earliest known coins.

Pendant with da bei zhou writing