Empire of Silver

A New Monetary History of China

By: Jin Xu

Narrated by: Nancy Wu

This revelatory account of the ways silver shaped Chinese history shows how an obsession with “white metal” held China back from financial modernization. First used as currency during the Song dynasty in around 900 CE, silver gradually became central to China’s economic framework and was officially monetized in the middle of the Ming dynasty during the 16th century. However, due to the early adoption of paper money in China, silver was not formed into coins but became a cumbersome “weighing currency”, for which ingots had to be constantly examined for weight and purity - an unwieldy practice that lasted for centuries. 

While China’s interest in silver spurred new avenues of trade and helped increase the country’s global economic footprint, Jin Xu argues that, in the long run, silver played a key role in the struggles and entanglements that led to the decline of the Chinese empire.

©2021 Jin Xu (P)2021 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Interesting but boring.

The narration makes it very boring. It’s a very bland narration. It’s hard to listen to for a long periods of time without getting bored.

If you like silver don't listen

I was hoping for a history of silver in China. that isn't what you get. it is full of keynsian economics & misguided monetary theory. its essentially a sales pitch against silver money & backs paper money & central banks.