From 0 1 1 to 20 16, the excavation of the tomb of Hou Haiyin (the ninth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty) in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, brought this ancient tomb, which had been sleeping for more than 2,000 years, back to the world and once again triggered a heated discussion about gold in the Western Han Dynasty. Among the more than 10000 cultural relics found, * * has 478 gold wares, including 3800 gold cakes. There are horseshoe gold 17 pieces (single piece weighs about 260 grams), small horseshoe gold 3/kloc-0 pieces (single piece weighs about 40 grams), Lin's toe gold 25 pieces (single piece weighs about 80 grams) and gold plates 20 pieces, with the total weight exceeding 120 kg. This is by far the most gold wares found in Han tombs in China. Subsequently, several large-scale exhibitions of archaeological achievements attracted many people to see "gold", but more people failed to feast their eyes for various reasons. However, this year's Xiling auction provides everyone with an opportunity to get close to the gold treasures of the Han Dynasty. Two golden cakes of the Han Dynasty were photographed at this year's Xiling Spring Auction.

The two gold cakes of the Western Han Dynasty photographed this spring are pure and reddish in color, concave in face, clear in ice gap, convex in back, smooth and natural in honeycomb pores, and both have a "V" seal, and one of them has a bank seal, so the circulation state is obvious.

Ming: Golden cake, also known as cake gold, is named after its round shape. It is one of the currencies of the Han Dynasty, which is mainly used for gifts between the royal family and nobles. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "A sheep gets a cake of gold when it tastes the Tao." During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, gold was recorded as a currency and a gift, which was widely circulated during the Han and Tang Dynasties.

The Western Han Dynasty was a dynasty rich in gold in the history of China. According to historical records, its gold reserves are the highest in history, reaching more than 500 tons. So many gold discoveries remind scholars of a mystery of the huge amount of gold in the Western Han Dynasty that has not been solved for many years. "Where did the gold in the Western Han Dynasty come from, what was its use, and why did it suddenly disappear in the Eastern Han Dynasty?"

According to the statistics of Peng Xinwei, a famous historian, in his book A History of Chinese Currency, the amount of gold awarded by the reigning emperor of the Western Han Dynasty alone reached one million Jin, equivalent to 250 tons of gold today. According to the statistics of China Gold Association, by the end of 20 15, China's gold reserve was more than 700 tons, which means that as early as the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, the amount of gold given to the empress dowager was close to 15% of the current gold treasury reserve. There are many examples in the history books that the Western Han Dynasty gave ten thousand Jin and hundreds of thousands Jin of gold. The earliest record is that more than 2,000 years ago, when Chu and Han were fighting for hegemony, Hanwang Liu Bang listened to Chen Ping's plan and sent Chen Ping to carry 40,000 Jin of gold to Chu State for double espionage. As a result, it received a miraculous effect, which alienated Xiang Yu, the overlord of the place of Xi Chu, and increased his confidant.

In the Western Han Dynasty, it also gave gold to the heroes. Emperor Wudi sent Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to attack the Xiongnu rebellion in the north for more than 40 years, giving a lot of gold to the heroes. According to "Historical Records", "Anyone who catches Lu's beheading will be rewarded with more than 200,000 Jin". Until the end of the Western Han Dynasty, there was still a lot of gold in the treasury, which was passed down from generation to generation by Wang Mang. At that time, all the people who saved 10 thousand Jin of gold in the province were one room, and there were sixty rooms and yellow doors.

One of the sources of gold in the Western Han Dynasty: Han inherited the Qin system. During the Warring States period, all the vassal states collected gold and jewels. Chu directly used gold as currency. After Qin destroyed the six countries, gold was honored as currency. All the gold reserves of the six countries are concentrated in Chang 'an. After Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu, he inherited the gold of Qin State.