庚子之后制钱铸造体系的规复与解体

制钱铸造在庚子之变中遭受重创,此后经历了一个艰难规复、地方实践、观念转型、民间转向与最终解体的复杂过程。面对庚子后的钱荒危机,清政府通过批准开铸铜元、重建中央铸钱局、改铸新制钱、推广粤式制钱等钱法改革,于光绪三十三年初步规复传统的制钱铸造体系。但随着各省对铜元余利的倚重与货币本位制改革的推进,朝野人士对主、辅币关系形成新的认识,铜元超越制钱被纳入主辅币方案,一文铜元亦在光绪三十四年逆转一文制钱成为推行全国的一文新钱。由此,钱法改革从属于本位制改革,政府币制改革观念亦由银钱并行、分层开展转型为统筹划一、建立银本位,故制钱被排除在新币制之外,长期亏赔的宝泉局最后亦被撤销。同时,民间私钱历经泛滥与衰落之后,在宣统朝转入消亡期。至宣统三年,虽然官私制钱仍在广泛流通,但相关铸造活动已全面停止,这标志着自秦代以后运行两千余年的传统铸钱体系最终解体。

The Regulation and Disintegration of the Coin Casting System after 1900

The official system of casting copper coins was severely destructed in 1900.After that,it experienced a complicated process of restoration,reformation and eventual disintegration.Facing the shortage of currency after 1900,the Qing government made some reforms to encourage casting coins and mostly restored the traditional system of casting copper coins by 1907.However,along with the promotion of the currency reform by the Qing government,cast coins were gradually replaced by minted coins.As a result,the theme of the Qing currency reform was transformed from the dual system of silver and copper currency to the uniform system of silver currency.Cast copper coins were excluded from the new currency system and the bureau in charge of casting coins was disbanded.Meanwhile,the copper coins cast by private business also declined and finally died out in the Xuantong Reign.By 1911,though cast coins were still circulated,the practice of casting coins had been stopped.This was the end of the traditional coin casting system that had last for more than two thousand years since the Qin dynasty.