Very big yuan

The first people brought to Europe news about China, were merchants. So in polufantasticheskie stories weave sometimes quite practical information: what and how much you can buy something in town, and how much local currency to provide a silver thaler. But, by and large, China's money seemed to Europeans as fabulous as the gold elves.

Rich family
Just think - the middle of the coin hole to string the money on a thread like beads. It is that! Some coins are made not of metal, but from the salt. Imagine what would happen if the local rich man falls under the rain? But this is not very surprising. From rags old Chinese cook the paper - something in between papyrus and parchment. Dried substance are cut into small squares and write on them the name of his sovereign. And so enjoys sovereign in their country respected, that these pieces do not seem to be of no value, go to his subjects as real money. Our ancestors in the nightmarish dream could not have dreamed as a rainbow paper will include their descendants.

But even the most cursory glance at Chinese numismatics is reverential admiration - how it diversified and unlike in Europe. Each coin - the mirror incredible tests endured by the Chinese people, despite everything that did preserve their culture and identity.

The history of money is impossible to write in isolation from the history of the state. There are, it more than seven thousand years. Sami Chinese lead her back to the Xia kingdom polulegendarnogo. The climate of China was then the Minister, and animal husbandry was the main occupation rights. In exchange, all estimated at bykah or sheep.

The role of money can do and cereals. So far in the outback of South-East, if not petty small coins, hand count cups of rice. No people were trying to invent an equivalent, which would take all. Cockleshells cowrie - brilliant, light, strong - have been real money. Excavations of ancient settlements are in such quantities that there is no doubt: they kopili. Shell is too small, and there are substitutes made of stone. Finally with the development of metallurgical steel money from the manufacture of copper and bronze. The Chinese are associated with this period dynasties Shang and Western Zhou. Bronze gradually being replaced everything else. It is not the port, takes up little space was needed just to all. The bronze cowrie practical simple bars, is not always the traders were on hand scales to accurately determine the weight and hence value, and the fans have always been alloy. At cowrie appear inscriptions, to protect the fakes. Kaur is increasingly becoming the type of these coins.

Struggling kingdom
The Age - Chzhango - refers to the middle of 1 millennium BC Each state, no matter how small, pour their coins. Archeologists note about the release of hundreds of places. There were bronze coins in the form of hoes - the kingdom of Jin, in the form of a knife - Yan and Qi, bronze cowrie - Chu, fish, bells and much more. In addition to bronze, had a circulation of silver money lopatovidnye - Chern, gold square with stamps - Chu.

tried to swallow , fought with each other, entered into temporary alliances and coalitions. Nobody paid attention on the outskirts of the kingdom of Qin. It was neither the strongest nor the most wealthy. But he defended the neighbors Hwang Ho river and mountain ranges. While others exhausted themselves in the feud, Qin kopilo force. Considering themselves the descendants of the Son of Heaven, they proclaimed the principle of .

In the IV century BC Minister Shang Jan-supported medical Wang reforms were carried out. Hardened, the first shock caused the State Shu Qin-Ba, the rich deposits of iron. Further, the uptake was almost neighbors stop. Won the next kingdom, the ruler Qin destroyed his capital, to cancel all previous privileges, enforcing its laws, measures of weight and coin. After 17 years, he won the last independent kingdom, and declared himself huandi - Emperor. In the history of China, he went under the name of Qin Shihuandi - the first Emperor of Qin. He joined the northern fortress of continuous Great Wall of China. Everything strengthen domestically were sryty. Caesar was at all diverse in an effort to subjugate the country, destroying temples, pereplavlyaya bronze weapons, prohibiting the writing of the local characters. After his death the empire fell apart - but one of the leaders of the rebellion, Liu Bang, united again by lifting the most hated laws. His kingdom Han continued to cultivate a common measure of weight, a single letter, a single coin.

Tsinsky Qian
Tsinsky Qian, round bronze coin with a square hole of the middle, turned to China about 2500 years. The unprecedented case in world history! Coin change the size, weight, markings - but remained the same in form and method of manufacture. Its not minted, and pour in the special formochkah. The front side of the coin, as a rule, have four characters. Two vertical indicate the slogan during the rule of the emperor. Every emperor in the vosshestvii to the throne to choose their motto. Say, "Heavenly Peace> or . These slogans have changed every five or six years. They advanced numismatists date is now the age of the coin. Since Min dynasty, became a motto for every rule. Two horizontal hieroglyph passed the name of the coin: Yuan Bao - , Bao Tong - "precious> Zhong Bao - .

Additional characters and symbols on the reverse side will indicate the variety of mint, a series of releases and even number of smelting furnaces. Familiarly known as Chinese coins . It is therefore not hesitated to name their collections for the names of coins . Some coins, moreover, considered amulets. Because they beautiful hieroglyphs Shen - life, Cai - wealth. There have been attempts to produce iron instead of bronze money, but, except for inflation, it produced no effect.

The first paper money appeared in China during the Tang Dynasty - the most powerful and glorious. Initially, these were cash receipts and bills that merchants took to the road, and then changed to the coin. The convenience of such money was so obvious that the officials have been practicing them for sending tax. The Government has issued , which can be purchased anywhere in the country's products, tea, salt. This, in our understanding, the money appeared in the X century in the province of Sichuan.

Private banks have received from the state permission to issue bills of exchange. Satisfied in the success of the experiment, in 1023 the state announced a monopoly on this activity. It was the issue banknotes of various advantages of printing, notifying them going right for three years. People nicknamed banknotes - paper is easy to take away the wind. Banknotes an appropriate amount of precious metals, and printed in not less than 6 colors with a few cliches.

In 1799 Jacob Perkins patented the method of engraving for printing paper money. Its essence was that instead of simple ornaments were invited to engrave complex artistic compositions. Such money was much harder to forge. This method is called . Worldwide vozopili that found a panacea for counterfeiters, and to take urgent introduce in place. I do not know what would be with Mr. Perkins, if he saw the Chinese bill the XII century ... In order to deal with fakes, printing money to the Chinese in the same century, became a special paper with the inclusion of fiber - the raw material for them is mulberry tree bark and silk.