A Study On The Circulation Of Currency And Related Issues Seen In The Northwest Han Bamboo Slips

The number of documents containing information about currency in the Northwest Han Bamboo Slips is relatively large.According to the records,the currency imported to the border counties came from three sources: first,the central government directly transferred the coins to the northwestern border counties,and second,the taxes imported from Henan and Henei counties,both of which constituted the main source of currency for the northwestern garrison.These currencies were collected in the money vaults of the border counties and were under the centralized management of the cantonment institutions.Thirdly,the money sent by the families of the garrison soldiers in the border areas was small and private,and was not managed by the garrison agencies.The types of money contained in the Northwest Han Bamboo Slips show diversified characteristics.The mainstream currency was mainly coins and gold,which was the explicit currency;cloth and silk also played the role of currency at certain times,which was the semi-explicit currency;grain and salt also played the role of currency,which was the implicit currency.Such a rich variety of currency was influenced by a variety of factors,firstly,the adequacy of currency allocation;secondly,the constraints of state finance and currency evolution;and finally,the unique economic and social development needs of the border counties.When coins was scarce,substitution of goods for coins was used to relieve inflationary pressure and to compensate for the garrison’s subsistence goods,but this was not the norm and could not permanently replace metal coins.There were various ways to pay out coins to the border county governments.Equipment,transportation,garrison aftercare,officials’ salaries,and administrative expenses constituted the main aspects of currency output.At the same time,"income from punish" and "income from coins for atonement" became the government’s source of income to finance the government’s daily consumption expenses.The government of the border counties was supportive of the garrison officials’ commercial activities,and the garrison officials also actively participated in the commercial trade,and earned coins directly or by hiring others to buy clothing,cloth and silk,wine and food,medical supplies,and related tools for production,to some extent,reflecting the weakening of the Stressing agriculture and Restraining trade.The currency circulation contained in the Northwest Han bamboo slips is complex.The diversity of means of payment was used to alleviate the dilemma caused by the shortage of metal coins in the border counties and to satisfy bilateral trade with ethnic minorities;the tightness of the management system ensured that government expenditures were traceable and prevented fraud;the lack of "cashability" led to the development of lending and trade in the border counties.All of the above are practices that complemented the Han dynasty Empire’s frontier governance model.