Where did so much gold and silver go in ancient times?

In addition to the primitive barter era, real money and silver were almost the currencies of various dynasties. Their value will not change dramatically with the change of dynasties or currency reform. Even in ancient times, whether the national treasury was full or not depended on the amount of real money and silver. Therefore, yellow and white things have always been highly respected. China has a long tradition of mining gold and silver, which has lasted for thousands of years. So where did this large amount of gold and silver go?

These gold and silver mines will not only be mined by the government, but also by private individuals. The second is to obtain from abroad. During the Ming Dynasty, with the opening of new sea routes in the west, a large amount of silver in America was mined by merchants and flowed into China. It can be said that the amount of gold and silver in ancient China is amazing. These huge amounts of real money can't be consumed in a short time, but there are not many on the market now. Where have they all gone?

The first is to be buried with the emperor or the giants. Ancient people were very concerned about graves and thought that funerary objects could make them enjoy splendor in the underworld. So the funerary objects are extremely extravagant. Besides jade, silk and jewelry, gold and silver are also essential. In recent years, the tomb of Hou Hai Faint has been excavated. There are not only more than ten tons of copper coins in the tomb, but also a lot of gold and silver buried with it. The weight of gold wares 100 kilograms, including gold cakes, plates, pure gold and horseshoe gold. Even the chariots and horses are silver-plated, which shows that there are so many gold and silver buried with them.

Liu He's reign was not long, and he was abolished because of luxury, so he was also called Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. His position is not particularly high, and the treatment of being buried with him is so high, let alone the real emperor. The amount of gold and silver buried with emperors in previous dynasties is bound to be greater.

In addition to the gold and silver buried with him, there are many gold and silver that are privately collected. In ancient times, the change of dynasties and kingship was generally accompanied by turmoil. In addition, there are foreign enemies invading. At this time, what can be around you is gold and silver. The life of small farmers has made our ancestors more aware of saving. With savings, they will generally be converted into gold and silver to hide. In "The Last Emperor", it is an embodiment that the eunuchs in charge deduct money from the young eunuchs. A lot of gold and silver were buried in the ground by the people. Later, due to war and other reasons, the gold and silver remained in place, but people were nowhere to be found. Therefore, no one knows where gold and silver are hidden.

The most regrettable loss of gold and silver was in the Qing Dynasty. Due to the corruption in the Qing Dynasty, when foreign powers invaded, the Qing government had little power to fight back. The two Opium Wars, Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China and the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 were fiasco, and these fiasco were all accompanied by the signing of the Treaty of Disgrace and Disgrace. Almost all treaties issued by victorious countries have clauses demanding losses, and they often start in tens of thousands. Treaty of shimonoseki alone had to pay 200 million taels of Japanese silver, and the treasury of the Qing Dynasty was almost emptied. Even so, it's still not enough compensation. Gold and silver compensation is all from the people. As a result, most of the gold and silver in the folk and treasury flowed into the hands of the powers.

Of course, the destination of gold and silver is not limited to these, but the amount of gold and silver lost through these channels is extremely alarming, not to mention other destinations. But in recent years, China has gradually grown, and the lost gold and silver are gradually returning. It is also gratifying that Chinese aunts can buy gold at a higher price.