Research On The Silver Spreading In The Ming And Qing Dynastihes (16th-mid-19th Century)

From16thto mid-19thcentury, China was undergoing a slow process of transition toa modern society. An important change occurred in the field of currency in circulation,that was the spreading of silver currency. Silver, breaking the government’s bans, usedfrom smaller range to larger transaction areas, gradually replaced the Minggovernment-issued notes and coin and became the main currency in circulation. Thechange of currency brought by the silver spreading was in conflict with the interests ofthe imperial court, reduced the government’s exclusive right of finance, and rendered thegovernment losing its monetary sovereignty. But the silver spreading promoted theprosperity of domestic and international trades in the late Ming dynasty.The Qing empire inherited the system of the Ming, so the trend of silver currencyspreading continued. The silver currency system contained two new transitions: from thenotes to the silver, and the silver to the silver coins. In the middle of the19thcentury,Asian political and economic situation and the international relations have changed, andChina was gradually reduced to a semi-colony. But during this period, silver, as the mostimportant currency in circulation, has already completed the process of spreading as acurrency.This paper, from the perspective of changes of the silver currency system, startingwith the importance and complexity of silver currency, explores the reasons and processof the gradual spreading of metal currency silver and its impact on the social andhistorical environment and currency system. This paper absorbs and learns from theprevious different points of view and research achievements on the issue of the silvercurrency, and on the basis of which, clarifies its own understanding of the silverspreading. This paper consists of six chapters:In the first chapter, this paper presents the origin and development of silver currencyissues, which is gradually valued by academe in the existing various socio-economicsystems and their development. We point out the definition of silver currency and thesilver spreading, and introduce the relevant theories and research methods in this paper.In the second chapter, we review the relevant previous studies at home and abroad from the perspectives of silver and silver currency.In the third chapter, this paper introduces the process of the silver spreading sinceMing dynasty. The process of the silver spreading has three stages: formation stage,development stage and maturity stage. We make the analysis of the process of silverspreading from the two perspectives: silver monetization and silver spreading, centeringon the competition between silver and notes and coins, the transition from silver to silvercoins, and the development of the single tax in silver into the sharing man taxation intofields system and so on.Chapter Four presents the path of the silver spreading. As a kind of currency, silvercan circulate. We illustrate the internal and external paths of silver currency circulationfrom the perspectives of silver inflow and outflow. Longitudinal path of silver currencycirculation is introduced from the aspects of land tax, tariffs, donations, salt tax andofficial salary, soldier salary and so on. The lateral paths are traced from salt voucher, teavoucher, merchants, bazaar, land, false silver, bribe silver, the circulation of private ticketand so on.In the fifth chapter, we measure the extent of the silver spreading from the aspects ofthe growth of the population, the change of rice price, the exchange rate between goldand silver, economic monetization and so on. We also explain the success and failure ofthe transitions of silver currency from the notes to commodity currency, weighingcurrency to metal coins, and metal coins to credit money.The sixth chapter summarizes the impact of the silver spreading. The silverspreading has effects on society and economy in the Ming and Qing dynasties, whichincludes the currency ethics, the tax system, the grass-roots organization system, thedevelopment of regional economy and so on.