Fifty taels silver ingots were officially produced by the Ming government.The diachronic changes in the function,shape and weight of silver ingots witnessed the monetization process of silver and provide important insight into the monetary reform and change of the national economic system in the Ming dynasty.357 Ming fifty taels silver ingots were studied in this paper to elucidate the spatial distribution and chronological relations of various types of ingots.The paper also integrates literature to explain the underlying motivations.It is found that from the Early to the Late Ming dynasty,the production of fifty taels ingots was decentralized to the local level,leading to distinctive regional features in the late Ming period.The ingots made in the hinterland present a high degree of similarity with central governmental ones,but the ones made across the borders differ significantly.In contrast to the trend of increasing diversity in form,the weight gradually approached standard weights with increased precision,because of the gradual establishment of weight management and accountability systems by the central government.Additionally,the proportions of tax silver dispatch and transportation routes significantly influenced the form of ingots,so that ingots from regions featuring higher dispatch proportions and greater overlap in transportation routes are more similar in form.The fifty tael silver ingots not only witness the transformation of taxation silver production and management policies during Ming tax reforms but also reflect the tax silver dispatch in various regions during the late Ming dynasty.
关键词
明代税银/五十两银锭/白银货币化/形制划分/历时性
Key words
tax silver of the Ming dynasty/fifty taels silver ingot/silver monetization/typology/diachronic change
维普
万方数据