Shells Used as Currency in Pre-Qin Times. The concept of currency began to emerge during the Zhou Dynasty, and by the time of the Qin Dynasty in China, shell coins were phased out in favor of other forms of currency.
In pre-Qin times, shells were used as a medium of exchange for goods. The Shang and Zhou dynasties marked the golden age of shell usage as currency. Shells naturally became a symbol of wealth and are considered one of the earliest forms of currency in China. Among the Chinese characters we use, terms related to monetary value such as “wealth, goods, accounts, loans” are inseparable from their association with shell coins.
Why don’t people collect more shells to enrich themselves? For an object to become an equivalent medium of exchange, it must first possess intrinsic value. Back then, productivity was low, and not everyone could drill holes in shells. To use them, one had to drill holes in the shells and string them together. Given the low productivity levels and the absence of metal tools at the time, drilling holes in shells was a skilled craftsmanship. If too much force was used, the shells would become brittle and shatter into pieces.
Shells are one of the earliest forms of currency in China. (Illustrative image).
However, the elimination of shell coins was an inevitable result of human technological advancement. From the discovery of metals to their utilization, metal refinement technology continued to mature. At this point, drilling became less time-consuming and labor-intensive, and shell coins naturally ceased to be scarce and were phased out. As a relatively rare item, metal became the raw material for currency instead of other items when people needed to mine it.
Currency made from shells.
No matter when and where, people cannot think of taking shortcuts to wealth; we cannot expect something to fall from the sky or to gain something without effort. Everyone has some material desires; we want money, but we still need to work with our own hands. Getting rich overnight is merely a dream; when we wake up tomorrow, we still have to face life. Hopefully, everyone can rely on their own efforts to live the life they desire.
