Wang Mang Ancient Chinese coinage

obverse , reverse of da quan wu shi coin.



yi dao ping wu qian

wang mang nephew of dowager empress wang, in ad 9, usurped throne, , founded xin dynasty. introduced number of currency reforms met varying degrees of success. first reform, in ad 7, retained wu zhu coin, reintroduced 2 versions of knife money:

yi dao ping wu qian (chinese: 一刀平五千; pinyin: yīdāo píng wǔqiān; literally: 1 knife worth 5 thousand ) on yi dao characters inlaid in gold.
契刀五百 qi dao wu bai (chinese: 契刀五百; pinyin: qì dāo wǔbǎi; literally: inscribed knife 5 hundred )

between ad 9 , 10 introduced impossibly complex system involving tortoise shell, cowries, gold, silver, 6 round copper coins, , reintroduction of spade money in ten denominations.

the 6 coins. ad 9–14.

xiao quan zhi yi (chinese: 小泉直一; pinyin: xiǎoquán zhí yī; literally: small coin, value 1 )
yao quan yi shi (chinese: 么泉一十; pinyin: yǎo quán yīshí; literally: baby coin, ten )
you quan er shi (chinese: 幼泉二十; pinyin: yòu quán èrshí; literally: juvenile coin, twenty )
zhong quan san shi (chinese: 中泉三十; pinyin: zhōng quán sānshí; literally: middle coin, thirty )
zhuang quan si shi (chinese: 壯泉四十; pinyin: zhuàng quán sìshí; literally: adult coin, forty )
da quan wu shi (chinese: 大泉五十; pinyin: dàquán wǔshí) round coin nominal value of fifty wu zhu.

the ten spades. ad 10–14.

xiao bu yi bai (chinese: 小布一百; pinyin: xiǎo bù yībǎi; literally: small spade, 1 hundred )
yao bu er bai (chinese: 么布二百; pinyin: yǎo bù èrbǎi; literally: baby spade, 2 hundred )
you bu san bai (chinese: 幼布三百; pinyin: yòu bù sānbǎi; literally: juvenile spade, 3 hundred )
xu bu si bai (chinese: 序布四百; pinyin: xù bù sìbǎi; literally: ordered spade, 4 hundred )
cha bu wu bai (chinese: 差布五百; pinyin: chà bù wǔbǎi; literally: servant spade, 5 hundred )
zhong bu liu bai (chinese: 中布六百; pinyin: zhōng bù liùbǎi; literally: middle spade, 6 hundred )
zhuang bu qi bai (chinese: 壯布七百; pinyin: zhuàng bù qībǎi; literally: adult spade, 7 hundred )
di bu ba bai (chinese: 第布八百; pinyin: dì bù bābǎi; literally: graduate spade, 8 hundred )
ci bu jiu bai (chinese: 次布九百; pinyin: cì bù jiǔbǎi; literally: lower spade, 9 hundred )
da bu heng qian (chinese: 大布衡千; pinyin: dà bù héng qiān; literally: large spade, weight 1 thousand )

according history of han:

the people became bewildered , confused, , these coins did not circulate. secretly used wu zhu coins purchases. wang mang concerned @ , issued following decree:

dare oppose court system , dare use wu zhus surreptitiously deceive people , equally spirits exiled 4 frontiers , @ mercy of devils , demons.

the result of trade , agriculture languished, , food became scarce. people went crying in markets , highways, numbers of sufferers being untold.

in ad 14, these tokens abolished, , replaced type of spade coin , new round coins.

huo bu (chinese: 貨布; pinyin: huò bù; literally: money spade )
huo quan (chinese: 貨泉; pinyin: huòquán; literally: wealth/money coin )

according schjöth, wang mang wished displace wu zhu currency of western han, owing, said, prejudice jin (chinese: 金; pinyin: jīn; literally: gold ) radical in character zhu (chinese: 銖; pinyin: zhū) of inscription, component part of character liu, family name of rulers of house of han, descendant wang mang had dethroned. , introduced huo quan currency. 1 of reasons, again, coin circulated several years succeeding dynasty was, chroniclers say, fact character quan (chinese: 泉; pinyin: quán) in inscription consisted of 2 component parts bai (chinese: 白; pinyin: bái; literally: white ) , shui (chinese: 水; pinyin: shuǐ; literally: water ), happened name of village, bai shui in henan, in emperor guang wu, founded eastern han, born. circumstance lent charm coin , prolonged time of circulation. huo quan did indeed continue minted after death of wang mang – mould dated ad 40 known.

bu quan (chinese: 布泉; pinyin: bù quán; literally: spade coin ) known later nan qian (chinese: 男錢; pinyin: nán qián; literally: male cash ), belief if woman wore on sash, give birth boy. eventually, wang mang s unsuccessful reforms provoked uprising, , killed rebels in ad 23.