In traditional China
The wealthy owned land and means of payment such as cereals, fabrics, animals, metals and cowries (seashells). Cowries were chosen to serve as a means of payment because it was easy to count them and due to their rarity in the cities. When there were not enough cowries to supply the demand, imitations were made of materials such as stone, jade, bones and copper. The radical 贝, meaning both "cowry" and "money" appears in many characters associated with wealth, such as 财(literally: wealth), 贵(literally: expensive) and 资 (literally: property). Archaeological evidence from the 13th century BCE testifies that cowries were considered as treasure and served as gifts. During the Spring and Autumn period (770-221 BCE), following the development of a consumer economy, various new means of payment appeared, including fabrics, knife-shaped coins (with handle to hang them), bronze coins shaped like seashells and round coins. The various coins changed from region to region and from city to city.
Knife-shaped and spade-shaped coins, which were in circulation in the State of Zhao
Qin Shi Huang Di 秦始皇帝 (259-210 BCE), the first Emperor of China, introduced coin standardization by issuing a round coin with a square hole. This shape was developed from the handle of the early knife coins, which were round with a hole in the center. The design reflects the ancient Chinese belief according to which heaven is round-shaped and earth is square-shaped. Reliefs of two or more characters inscribed on the coin marked its value. From then on this kind of round coin with a square hole was in use for more than 2,000 years, until the fall of the Qing 清 (1644-1911) dynasty.
During the period of the Three Kingdoms (Wei 魏, Shu 属and Wu 吴 – 220-266 CE( the use of currency regressed. Every kingdom had its own currency, with no coordination among the different states and dynasties. Products such as silk and cereals served as a means of payment alongside coins.
During the Sui 隋(581-618 CE) dynasty large sums of money were invested in engineering projects such as canals and transportation routes. These great expenses and the accompanying corruption led to inflation.
Deflation occurred during the Tang 唐 dynasty (618-907 CE). Prices fell as a result of peace and the growth in production. The use of credit as a means of payment began and banks began to operate. Coins called "kai yuan tong bao" 开元通宝 (literally: new era of circulating treasure coins) expressed the idea of credit by representing value not correlated with weight.
During the Song 宋 dynasty (960-1279 CE) the shortage of bronze coins resulted in using only coins made of iron; but iron, as a currency, was too heavy. In order to buy 500 grams of salt one had to pay 700 grams of iron, and in order to buy 28 grams of silver, one had to pay 40 kilograms of iron. To facilitate trade, the merchants in Sichuan
The growth in the amount of money in circulation led to inflation, and the punishment for counterfeiting banknotes was death. High-quality coins were designed, marked by calligraphy styles that reached their peak during this period.
During the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279 CE) the oldest known coins with an inscription marking their year of issue were minted. On their reverse was inscribed the character "seven", to mark the seventh year of the rule of Emperor Chun Xi 淳熙 (ruled 1174-1189). Marking the year of issue continued to characterize the coins that were in use until the end of the Song dynasty, preceding such marking in the West by more than 300 years.
During the Mongolian feudal Yuan 元 dynasty (1280-1368 CE) paper bills were used as a basic currency and the use of gold and silver as means of payment was forbidden. From the Yuan dynasty on, silver served as an index of monetary value.
During the Ming 明 dynasty (1368-1644 CE), banknotes, copper coins and silver coins were in use. Zinc refinement technology during the first half of the 16th century was quite developed and zinc was added to bronze in order to produce brass – another alloy from which coins were minted. This was a breakthrough in the technology of minting coins. The government of the early Ming dynasty prohibited the use of gold and silver as a means of payment in order to encourage the use of paper money. Mining silver was prohibited as well. Despite these prohibitions, the people, who had been used to it for centuries, since the 10th century CE, continued to use silver as a means of payment. During the late Ming dynasty, the trade relations created between China
The Qing 清dynasty (1644-1911 CE) minted large numbers of coins in various shapes. This was the product of the peace and prosperity that prevailed during the long rule of Emperor Kang Xi 康熙 (ruled 1662-1722 CE) and his grandson Emperor Qian Long 乾隆(ruled 1736-1795 CE). During the rule of Emperor Dao Guang 道光 (ruled 1831-1851 CE), when trade developed between distant cities, carrying cash was dangerous. In order to ensure their personal safety, merchants used bank checks 票号.
Following the fall of the Qing dynasty and in the shadow of the two opium wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860), the value of silver fell drastically and the copper coins, which were of low quality, significantly lowered the value of money. This took place after the joint forces of the British and French armies had burnt the old summer palace of the emperor to the ground and forced the Manchurian rulers to transfer territories to them and pay them compensation.
In 1901, with the fall of the Qing dynasty, the joint forces, including the British, American, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Austrian and Italian, invaded China, which became a colonial society and semi-feudal. Groups of peasants who revolted against the invasion began to mint coins independently, both for civilian and military supply purposes.
The invasion by Western countries of China
During the Chinese republic (1912-1949) the yuan 元 currency, which is also used in present-day China
As already mentioned, in traditional China
During the 4th century BCE Shang Yang 商鞅(338-390), Prime Minister of the Qin 秦 dynasty, abolished the feudal system of land division and enabled the common people to buy and sell land. This system persisted for more than 2,000 years.
The Communists, during the civil war against the kuomingtang in the early 1930s, confiscated the property of officials, landlords, and tax collectors, and redistributed the land to the peasants.
In present-day China
Philosophical Perceptions of Wealth
In traditional China
The philosopher Lao Zi 老子 (604-531 BCE) wrote that an ideal society is self-sufficient. In such society no one owns more possessions than his neighbor, and thus there is no envy, which is the main cause of rivalry and suffering.
The philosopher Zhuang Zi 庄子 (369?-286 BCE) believed that life is transient and that the pursuit of wealth and personal glorification was mere vanity. It was therefore better to relinquish the desire for wealth and to live instead a simple life.
The historian Si Maqian 司 马迁 preceded the economics philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) by about 2,000 years, when he wrote that "wealth and coins should be able to flow freely as heaven flows freely" and that there is no one fixed way to reach wealth. Money, in his view, has no one permanent owner. It finds its way to talented people, just as the spokes of the wheel come together in the center; therefore, these talented people should be called "nobility without title".
Gods of Wealth
Money and wealth are not absent from the realm of the gods either. One of the most popular Chinese gods is the God of Wealth, Cai Shen 财神, who is responsible for the creation of profit and the division of wealth. He is presented as one god, a dual entity, or a group of gods. An old tradition originating in the Beijing
Symbols of Wealth
Among the traditional symbols of wealth[1] are the fish, turtle, deer, peony, and the big belly of the smiling Buddha.
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阿堵物
Literally: These things.
A phrase that means "money".
This originates in the following story:
During the Jin晋 dynasty (265-420 CE) there was a man named Yan Wang 衍王, who considered himself elevated above considerations of material interest and refrained from uttering the word "money". His wife did not, understandably, accept his approach, and one day when Wang Yan was sleeping she sent the servants to fill his bed with piles of money. She thought that when he would wake up he would have no choice but to say the word "money". Wang, however, although seeing the money around him when he woke up, was still determined not to utter the word. Instead, he called out, "Take these things from here!"
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贫居闹市无人问富在深山有远亲
A poor man, [though] he lives in a noisy city – nobody is interested in him, [whereas] a rich man who lives in a desolate mountain area - [even] distant relatives visit him
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日有阴晴月有盈亏
Literally: The sun is rising and setting [and] the moon is waxing and waning.
Wealth, like poverty is in not permanent. Economic conditions may change throughout life.
In the Bible it is written:
לא לעולם חוסן (משלי כז 24)
For riches do not last forever (Proverbs, 27, 24)
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有钱一条龙无钱一条虫
A wealthy person is like a dragon, [whereas] a poor person is like a worm
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人心无刚一世穷
He who lacks a strong will, will be poor for a lifetime
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人有前后眼富贵一千年
Literally: He who has eyes [both] in the front and in the back, will be wealthy and respected for a thousand years
A person who is cautious will be wealthy and respected for many years.
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一钱遮百丑
One coin of money [can] conceal a hundred [spots of] ugliness
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叫化子出龙灯穷欢
Beggars appear in the dragon lantern parade - poor people's joy
The same idea is found in the idiom:
叫化子哼着太平调穷开心
A beggar hums the song "A Peaceful Year" - poor people's joy
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要得富险上做
He who wants to become rich must take risks
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人穷断六亲
A poor person - his relatives[1] cut themselves off from him
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穷有 穷愁富有富愁
Wealthy people have wealthy people's worries, [just as] poor people have poor people's worries
In Hebrew they say:
מרבה נכסים מרבה דאגה (אבות , ב, ז).
He who has many assets has many worries (Pirkei Avot, 2, 7)
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贫不学俭富不学奢
The poor do not have to learn frugality [and] the wealthy do not have to learn spendthriftiness
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门前拴上高头马不是亲来也是亲
He who reaches the front door to which a tall horse is tied up - [though] he is not a relative [of the people in the house], he will consider himself a relative
A rich person or he who has high position, attracts people who expect to benefit from him.
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饱汉不知饿汉饥
Literally: The full do not understand the hungry.
The rich do not understand the poor.
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富家一席酒穷汉半年粮
The [cost] of one banquet held by a wealthy family is like [the cost] of the food consumed by a poor family in six months
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金钱如粪土脸面值千金
Money is like dirt [whereas] face[2] is worth a thousand pieces of gold
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肚饥莫与饱人言
The hungry have no common language with the satiated
The wealthy and the poor have no common language.
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金钱非万能
Money is not omnipotent
Money is not omnipotent
This, as opposed to the much-used idiom in English:
Money makes the world go round
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鱼米之乡
Land of fish and rice
A land of plenty.
In the Bible it is written (21 times):
ארץ זבת חלב ודבש
Literally: Land of milk and honey.
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百家姓不念第一个字
Literally: Reads "The Hundred [Chinese] Family Names"[3] without reading the first character
Said of those who speak about money before anything else.
The first name in the list of the Chinese family names is Zhao 赵, and the second is Qian 钱, which means "money".
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大河里有水小河里满
Literally: [When] there is water in the big rivers, the small rivers are filled.
When the community prospers, the individual prospers too.
The same idea is found in the idiom:
大河无水小河干
Literally: [When] there is no water in the big rivers, the small rivers dry up.
When there is a shortage in the community, the individual is poor.
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和气生财
Harmony brings wealth
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衣锦夜行
Walking dressed up in an embroidered robe at night
Said of a person who cannot reveal his wealth and high position to the public.
This is based on the following story:
Xiang Yu 项羽[4], who led his army to the occupation of Xianyang 咸阳, killed the surrendering King of the State of Qin 秦, burnt the palaces of Qin, and began withdrawing eastward with the looted treasures and captured women. One of his advisers advised him to stay in the region of the city of Guangzhong
Xiang Yu saw the ruined palaces of the State of Qin
[1]六 亲, literally: six kinds of family relatives: father, mother, big brothers, small brothers, wife and children.
[2] On the meaning of the term "face" 脸in Chinese, see the chapter on face and on losing face.
[3] "The Hundred Family Names" 百家 姓is the title of a text written by an anonymous writer from the period of the Song 宋 dynasty (960-1279 CE), which sets out the Chinese family names. See also the chapter on family.
[4] Xiang Yu (232-202 BCE ) was a prominent general during the fall of the Qin dynasty.
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