ban liang
thumb|Bronze mold for Mint (facility)|minting banliang coins, [[Warring States period (221 BC), state of Qin, from an excavation in Qishan County, Baoji, Shaanxi]]
Article
16 sectionsContents
- History
- State of Qin
- Qin dynasty
- Han dynasty
- Variants
- Western Han dynasty variants
- Silver Ban Liang cash coins
- Possible functions of the silver variant
- "Drilled holes" Ban Liang cash coins
- Privately cast Ban Liang cash coins
- Iron Ban Liang cash coins
- Numismatics
- See also
- References
- Sources
- External links
thumb|Bronze mold for Mint (facility)|minting banliang coins, [[Warring States period (221 BC), state of Qin, from an excavation in Qishan County, Baoji, Shaanxi]]
The banliang () was the first unified currency in imperial Chinese history, first minted as early as 378 BC and introduced by the first emperor Qin Shi Huang around 210 BC (although coins with this inscription already circulated in the state of Qin prior to unification). It was round with a square hole in the middle. Before that date, a variety of coins were used in China, usually in the form of blades (knife money, spade money) or other implements, though round coins with square holes were used by the state of Zhou before it was extinguished by Qin in 249 BCE.