Ancient Coins古代钱币
China is one of the earliest countries to adopt coins.
中国古代货币是世界上起源最早的货币之一。
Before the appearance of coins, people resorted to barter trade. For instance, a sheep was traded for a bag of rice. About 3 000 to 4000 years ago, ancient Chinese used precious shells as money. As commerce developed, people began to use copper to mint coins.
在钱币出现以前，人们只能用实物进行交易，比如，用一只羊换一袋米。三四千年钱，古人用珍贵的贝壳当作钱。随着商业的发展，人们开始用铜铸造钱币。
During the Spring and Autumn period more than 2 000 years ago, there appeared copper coins
in the shape of a knife, spade and .
2000多年前，在中国的春秋战国时期，出现了刀形、铲形和圆形的铜钱。
In the year of 221 BC, Emperor Qinshihuang unified the whole country and adopted a round coin with a square hole in the middle as a unified currency. Such coins could be held together by a string and carried about. Characters cast on the sides of the coin are of high value for archaeology today.
公元前221年，秦始皇统一中国后，铸造了一种圆形方孔的钱币，并将其作为全国统一的货币。这些钱币可以用绳子穿起来带在身上。钱上面的文字，对现在考古有很高的参考价值。
In 118 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty used the wuzhu coin as the national currency. Wuzhu lasted for 700 years. In the late Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-25 AD), Wang Mang also minted some coins, mostly in the shape of a knife or spade. They looked rather antique and pretty, but their life was short.
公元前118年，汉武帝用“五铢”钱作为全国货币，这是中国历史上使用时间较长的古货币，一直沿用了700年。西汉末年王莽也铸造了一些钱币，大多数都是刀形或者铲形，看起来美观，但是寿命很短。
In 621, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty abolished the wuzhu coin and adopted coins named tongbao, yuanbao, etc. He founded the kaiyuan tongbao coin. Since then, coins were named after the dynasty code or the year code. The coining time and place, and the value were also cast on the coins. This system continued until the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the early Republic of China(1911-1949), more than 1 000 years.
公元621年，唐高祖废除了五铢钱，改用通宝、元宝等名称，铸造了“开元通宝”
钱币。从这以后， 钱币多用国号或者年号命名。钱币的时间、地点和价值也被铸造在钱币上。这种系统一直沿用到明末民初，经历了1000多年。
China is also the earliest country to use paper currency. In the late Northern Song Dynasty(960-1127), 16 wealthy merchants of Chengdu of Sichuan Province jointly issued, the earliest paper currency in China.
中国也是最早使用纸币的国家。背诵末期，16家富商共同印制发行了最早的纸币“交子”。
中国古代货币是世界上起源最早的货币之一。
Before the appearance of coins, people resorted to barter trade. For instance, a sheep was traded for a bag of rice. About 3 000 to 4000 years ago, ancient Chinese used precious shells as money. As commerce developed, people began to use copper to mint coins.
在钱币出现以前，人们只能用实物进行交易，比如，用一只羊换一袋米。三四千年钱，古人用珍贵的贝壳当作钱。随着商业的发展，人们开始用铜铸造钱币。
During the Spring and Autumn period more than 2 000 years ago, there appeared copper coins
in the shape of a knife, spade and .
2000多年前，在中国的春秋战国时期，出现了刀形、铲形和圆形的铜钱。
In the year of 221 BC, Emperor Qinshihuang unified the whole country and adopted a round coin with a square hole in the middle as a unified currency. Such coins could be held together by a string and carried about. Characters cast on the sides of the coin are of high value for archaeology today.
公元前221年，秦始皇统一中国后，铸造了一种圆形方孔的钱币，并将其作为全国统一的货币。这些钱币可以用绳子穿起来带在身上。钱上面的文字，对现在考古有很高的参考价值。
In 118 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty used the wuzhu coin as the national currency. Wuzhu lasted for 700 years. In the late Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-25 AD), Wang Mang also minted some coins, mostly in the shape of a knife or spade. They looked rather antique and pretty, but their life was short.
公元前118年，汉武帝用“五铢”钱作为全国货币，这是中国历史上使用时间较长的古货币，一直沿用了700年。西汉末年王莽也铸造了一些钱币，大多数都是刀形或者铲形，看起来美观，但是寿命很短。
In 621, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty abolished the wuzhu coin and adopted coins named tongbao, yuanbao, etc. He founded the kaiyuan tongbao coin. Since then, coins were named after the dynasty code or the year code. The coining time and place, and the value were also cast on the coins. This system continued until the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the early Republic of China(1911-1949), more than 1 000 years.
公元621年，唐高祖废除了五铢钱，改用通宝、元宝等名称，铸造了“开元通宝”
钱币。从这以后， 钱币多用国号或者年号命名。钱币的时间、地点和价值也被铸造在钱币上。这种系统一直沿用到明末民初，经历了1000多年。
China is also the earliest country to use paper currency. In the late Northern Song Dynasty(960-1127), 16 wealthy merchants of Chengdu of Sichuan Province jointly issued, the earliest paper currency in China.
中国也是最早使用纸币的国家。背诵末期，16家富商共同印制发行了最早的纸币“交子”。
