Children, jewelry, jade, knife coins, etc. In the Warring States period, it was a real convertible currency, and silver was only a kind of enjoyment for collectors at this time.
Later, in the Western Han Dynasty, the status of silver was improved, and in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, silver entered the ranks of "three platinum products". However, in terms of people's concept of money or actual usage habits at that time, it is inappropriate to call silver a currency that can be used for trading. In other words, although silver products such as silver shells have entered people's field of vision at this time, they have not been officially recognized.
But later, silver became a precious metal and assumed all the functions of money. So how did silver change from a "treasure" among collectors to a currency widely circulated in the market? This should start from the Tang Dynasty. Since the Tang Dynasty, silver has officially changed its status and been widely used in trade, royal reward, international trade and other fields.
And it has its own irreplaceable position in the prosperous social culture of the Tang Dynasty, and this change of "identity" status is driven by the internal needs of social groups and economic structure in the Tang Dynasty, and there is also a very key driving force behind it, that is, the Silk Road trade.
Monetization of silver is an inevitable trend of social and economic development in Tang Dynasty.
Silver monetization was born in the need of social and economic development. From the rule of Zhenguan to the politics of Wu and Zhou dynasties to the prosperity of Kaiyuan, it experienced the war in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the social turmoil in the Sui Dynasty. The internal driving force of social and economic development in the prosperous Tang Dynasty reached the peak of the feudal dynasty. On the one hand, whether it is traditional agriculture or handicrafts, or commercial trade and overseas Silk Road trade, there is an urgent need for an equivalent transaction in the process of rapid development.
The social status of silver as a precious metal was established as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Together with the gold standard, in ordinary social transactions, silver naturally began to fly into the homes of ordinary people from sacred collections. On the other hand, people's understanding of silver began to change. Of course, it didn't come from ordinary people, but the social aristocrats at that time started by giving precious silverware or silver as a glorious and decent thing. Of course, the meaning of silver still has a noble "face" as always, and it is also passed down among dignitaries without losing its identity.
The progress of silver manufacturing technology has laid the foundation for its monetization. With the progress of manufacturing technology, silver has entered the homes of ordinary people, and silver has really entered the hands of ordinary people from social aristocrats, thus becoming secular. The main reason is the rapid improvement of silver smelting technology and the progress of silverware manufacturing technology, which makes the number of silver products increase sharply, and silver mines are constantly being discovered and mined.
Zhenguan Politicians in the Tang Dynasty has been published for 26 years: Zhenguan Ten Years ... There are silver pits in Xuaner Mountain and Raoer Mountain, and the profits are extremely high, which can earn millions every year. "
By 806 AD, the silver output of the Tang Dynasty had reached162,000, just like "In the old society, Wang Xietang died and flew into the homes of ordinary people". The rapid increase in the amount of silver gradually reduced its value and "identity", which was the decisive factor for the monetization of silver in the Tang Dynasty.
The expansion of the field of silver use has accelerated the process of its monetization. First, the silver collection function that began in the Warring States period still exists. Although silver has been gradually secularized, silver at this time is already a symbol of wealth, and the amount of silver owned is also a symbol of a person's status. Therefore, collecting silver has been an eternal "hobby" of nobles since ancient times.
Second, silver is widely used as a reward by the royal family. The royal family represents majesty. In the ancient society where imperial power was supreme, the royal reward was bound to symbolize luxury and preciousness. There are many records about the royal family sending money to ministers in Old Tang Book. The monetization of silver is dominated by the royal family, so ministers also give each other as valuable gifts, which has become a trend for a time.
Thirdly, in the Book of the New Tang Dynasty, it has been widely recorded that silver is used to buy goods in ordinary trade. In the eyes of businessmen, silver has officially become a trading currency at this time.
Second, Silk Road trade has become a powerful "pusher" of silver monetization.
The vast scope of the Silk Road trade. After several twists and turns, the Silk Road formed in the Western Han Dynasty reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. On the one hand, this is a geographical expansion. The Silk Road starts from Chang 'an, Tang Dou, and reaches Europe in the west. A large number of merchants from the western regions poured into the mainland for trade, and the currencies among countries were complicated, which made the silver in the Tang Dynasty popular throughout the western regions with the help of Central Asian merchants. On the other hand, it is the expansion of trade commodities, from silk, porcelain, tea to various currencies such as food, clothing, housing and transportation, and silver has finally become the medium of commodity exchange.
The demand for a unified currency. Merchants from West Asia and Persia came to the Central Plains loaded with goods, which inevitably led to currency conflicts. What's more, the difference in currency between foreigners and Tang people alarmed the government, so that in the late Tang Dynasty, the government prohibited businessmen from directly conducting financial transactions without goods.
The prerequisite for Persian merchants to continue trading in West Asia and Central Asia is the mutual trust of currencies of various countries. Although silver began to be monetized in the Tang Dynasty, it was only in the primary stage, and most foreign businessmen in this area were mainly gold and silver. Both sides urgently needed a currency that could be trusted and circulated in their own countries, so silver became a * * * exchange point between them, and businessmen spontaneously formed * * * knowledge.
The rise of the Maritime Silk Road. The Anshi Rebellion seriously damaged the Silk Road trade that prevailed for several years, and the rulers of the Tang government were unable to effectively rule the western regions in the later period. The loss of territory and frequent harassment of nomadic people gave birth to the Maritime Silk Road.
According to the records of the four emperors of Huanghua, the Silk Road in Tang Dynasty was divided into seven roads: Tianzhu Road, Andong Road, Yunzhong Road, Bohai Road, Xiyu Road, Huihe Road, Annan Road and Guangzhou Tonghai Road.
Jia Dan, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a detailed description of the route of the Maritime Silk Road in the Tang Dynasty, reaching as far as the Indian Ocean and West Asia. Starting from the coast of the East China Sea, merchants from all countries sailing at sea still use silver to trade goods. The reason may be ordinary trading habits, but more importantly, silver at that time has indeed become an internationally recognized international currency.
Thirdly, several key factors of silver monetization in the Silk Road trade.
The openness of the Tang Dynasty was unprecedented. The Tang Dynasty was powerful, and most countries in the western regions envied the "big brother" next to it. The Tang Dynasty did not bully the weak, but still welcomed the envoys of various countries with an inclusive and open attitude. What's more, Persians can rank high as prime ministers, which shows that the Tang Dynasty was tolerant both at home and abroad.
At the same time, the rulers of the Tang dynasty also resolutely cracked down on the harassment of nomadic people in the north to protect the security of all countries along the Silk Road. These performances in the Tang Dynasty are enough to prove that this is a qualified "big brother".
Political stability is the cornerstone of social progress, and social stability is a necessary condition for economic development. Only after the economic development can silver be widely circulated, and finally silver can be widely popular in the Tang Dynasty in the form of money.
The scientific and technological level of the Tang Dynasty was at the leading level in the world, and most of China's four great inventions were spread to the west in the Tang Dynasty. In addition, handicraft industry and crop planting technology also made great achievements in the Tang Dynasty. With the advanced silk weaving technology and porcelain production level, a series of handicrafts have become an important support for the Silk Road trade. Gunpowder has played an important role in mining.
The iron smelting technology in Tang Dynasty is in a leading position in the world. The use of Qu Yuan's power makes agricultural farming more convenient, and the progress of medical technology represented by Sun Simiao, etc. All of them promoted the social progress of the Tang Dynasty, and the development of all walks of life finally returned to the interests. Silver became a star, a protagonist with glory and aura.
The cultural development of the Tang Dynasty was extremely high. Astronomy, geography, medicine, literature, religion and so on * * * formed an advanced and complex cultural system in the Tang Dynasty, which occupied an absolute leading position in East Asia at that time. Secondly, Tang Wenhua is highly developed, but it is not closed. Han culture, which has experienced countless dynasties, is very mature in the feudal sense. The Chinese culture with Confucianism as its core has always been eclectic with an open and inclusive attitude, constantly enriching and developing itself, and at the same time exporting it invisibly.
Because of its openness, the export process is easily recognized by the recipient. In addition to the powerful comprehensive national strength of the Tang Dynasty, Tang Wenhua became an example for western countries at that time, and silver naturally became the most important medium for cultural exchanges between the Tang Dynasty and foreign countries. Culture permeates into trade and trade, and ambassadors of various countries virtually become disseminators of Tang Wenhua in the process of trade. Of course, the surface medium is silver.