“I don’t know much about money, I’ve seen so little of it.” – Fletch, by Gregory MacDonald
Yeah, graduate students shouldn’t pose as financial experts. We’re generally living grant to mouth. After the gravity of last year’s financial crisis set in though, I realized I may have benefited from spending my late-20s and early-30s being so financially irresponsible. I didn’t have a house, stocks, car loans, trust fund with Bernie Madoff, etc. Never had being so poor seemed so smart. I do owe enough in student loans to buy my own island nation in the Caribbean (with a little to spare for lounge chairs and a round of umbrella drinks) but I think it’s best if we move on to talking about this day in history…
On this date in 1161, the Southern Song court issued the world’s first government-backed paper money. Certificates of deposit and exchange had circulated privately for many years, but the demands of the Medieval Economic Revolution, which saw an enormous expansion in trade and an increasingly sophisticated and complex economy, meant that new forms of exchange were needed. The 会子 (huizi) made its debut on March 11, 1161, backed by copper. Naturally, it took exactly
Wen Tianxiang Temple in Beijing
Once upon a time historians mocked the Song (960-1279). There was this idea that after the Tang, which had always seemed a little — muscular, the Song era was too effeminate, too concerned with arts and philosophy.
The territorial reach of the Song was never great, and it was surrounded by hostile neighbors kept at bay only through bribes and official admissions that maybe the Chinese emperors weren’t so supreme after all — a tough cookie to swallow for later Chinese historians.
Over time, things went from bad to worse. In 1127 the armies of the Jurchen took the northern half of the empire and by the middle of the 13th century the great hordes of the Mongol khans threatened to take the rest.
But if you think about: the Song get a bad rap. They held out long after most of Eurasia had fallen before the Mongol horseman and it took the near total depopulation of Sichuan and losing control of the Yangzi to finally topple the Song.
In 1275, with the Mongol armies threatening the Song capital of Lin’an (today’s Hangzhou) a panicked throne asked all loyal officials to rush to the emperor’s aid. One of those who
On this date in 976, Li Yu (born 936) of the Southern Tang Dynasty surrendered to the armies of the Song. Li Yu had attempted to buy off the Song Emperor for many years, trying to preserve a kingdom that covered modern day Jiangxi as well as parts of Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian. Holding out in his capital at Jinling (today’s Nanjing) Li Yu even voluntarily abdicated his title as “emperor” in an attempt to appease the Song court. No dice. In the winter of 975 Song troops stormed Jinling and Li Yu was taken prisoner. He lingered in the Song capital of Kaifeng for a few years until, as the story goes, he was poisoned after having the temerity to write a poem lamenting the loss of his empire and accusing the Song emperor of raping his wife.
Staying in the Song for a moment, on this date in 1085 Song historian Sima Guang published his classic 《资治通鉴》”A Comprehensive Mirror on Government,” a tour de force with 294 volumes and 3 million characters chronicling over a millennium of history.
Today is the birthday of Peking opera star Cheng Yanqiu (1904-1958). He was born in Beijing to a banner family
Today is the birthday of Song Dynasty über-historian Sima Guang,* born November 17, 1019, compiler and author of voluminous works including the Zizhi Tongjian (“Comprehensive Mirror on the Government”), a historical tour de force with 294 volumes and 3 million characters chronicling over a millennium of history.
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* Same surname, but not to be confused with the Han Dynasty Grand Historian Sima “You want to cut what off, now?” Qian.
I don’t do these every day. Frankly, even with 5000 years of history, not much has happened on some days…or at least not enough for me to break from my sloth and write about it. August 15…well, this is one of those days when you’ve got TOO much good stuff to pass up.
In 978, Li Yu (李煜 b. 936), the last emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty (935-975) was poisoned, allegedly on the orders of Zhao Kuangying (Song Taizong r. 939-997). Li Yu lost his throne following the final defeat of the Southern Tang by the Song in 976, and for two years lived in relative captivity at the Song capital of Kaifeng. Famous for his talents in poetry and music, Li Yu’s hobby may have been his downfall when he composed a poem with references some interpreted as a pining for his old kingdom and accusations against the Song emperor of wanton behavior.
On this date in 1878, the Qing Empire issued its first set of postage stamps under the name of China. Up to that point, the different foreign powers had their own postage services and stamps which were used by both foreigners and Chinese in sending
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