Chapter 11 Section 4 Unification of Currency in the Sui Dynasty

In 581 A.D., Yang Jian destroyed the Northern Zhou Dynasty and established the Sui Dynasty. In the ninth year of Kaihuang (589 A.D.), he destroyed Chen, unified the north and the south, and established a unified feudal dynasty with centralized power.Emperor Wen implemented the New Deal to develop production and stabilize the political situation.For example, expanding and improving the original land equalization system, lightening corvees and reducing taxes, agricultural production gradually recovered, commerce and handicrafts also developed accordingly, and the economy of Jiangnan, Fujian and Guangzhou was rapidly developed, international trade was expanded, and prosperity emerged in Chang'an, Luoyang, Yangzhou, and Guangzhou. commercial city.On the basis of this stable economic development, eliminate the currency abuses of Northern Qi, Northern Zhou and Liang Chen, implement a deflationary policy, establish a stable currency system, and issue the standard "Kaihuang five baht", also known as "Sample five baht".The statutory money of 1,000 Wen weighs four catties and two taels, and the circulation of ancient coins and private money is completely prohibited.Order each customs to set a hundred coins as a sample, and the coins brought by the people who enter the customs must be inspected and only allowed to enter the customs if they meet the standards, otherwise they will be taken away for melting and casting.The Sui Kaihuang five baht was made neatly, with Zhou Guo on the back, fine and clear strokes, and slightly curved and rounded joints of the five characters.Some money is white, also called "white money".In this way, the currency value is stabilized, forming a stable currency situation for about 20 years.Emperor Yang (605-618 A.D.) was "arrogant for his own use, recited the words of Yao and Shun, and acted as an act of Jie and Zhou" ("Tong Jian" Volume 192), extravagant and extravagant, he had a lot of travel, built a lot of construction, and provoked foreign wars. It cost a lot of money, and the finances were exhausted, which quickly destroyed the economic foundation of the Sui Dynasty. They had to cast a lot of bad money, and every thousand wen was reduced to only one catty. Ye Ye] Cut leather and paste paper as money.The price of goods soared, and the price of rice was ten thousand yuan per dendrobium.The people of the old days were in dire straits, and the rebel army rose up, and the Sui Dynasty died.

In short, the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were a period of great change in Chinese history, and their currency forms also formed a transitional stage in the history of Chinese currency culture, which provided some valuable historical experience and also showed some characteristics of the development of the currency system: First, the name of coins , gradually evolved from the weight of two baht, breaking through traditional habits.Such as Buquan, Wuxing Dabu, Yongtong Wanguo and other money, the weight is not used as the name of the money.Second, the reign money appeared and increased later, such as Xiaojian five baht, Yongguang two baht, Taihe five baht, Changping five baht, Yong'an five baht, Kaihuang five baht and other coins, which are the pioneers of the year's name money in later generations.Third, the materials of coins are complicated.In addition to the common use of copper coins, there are also iron coins, lead-tin coins, gold and silver coins, various alloy coins, grain, silk, and some local specialties are also used as currency.Fourth, there are many types of currencies, which change rapidly, and few can maintain their value, while many reduce their weight and depreciate their prices.This situation has occurred in all dynasties and generations in this period.Fifth, Qian Wen calligraphy has changed a lot, from seal script to regular script, and tends to be beautiful and practical.Some of them have exquisite calligraphy and engravings, and have become art treasures among historical relics.