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The weights of the Chinese market, from the qian to the jin. Part of the Ancient Measures collection.
Every unit converts through grams on the modern standard: jin = 500 g, liang = jin/16, qian = liang/10. Worked example: the traditional bride-price “100 liang of silver” = 100 × 50 = 5000 g — five kilograms of silver. The Qing liang ran ~37.3 g; the 1929 reform set 50 g. Old texts’ ‘taels’ need their dynasty checked.
50 g in the modern standard — but the Qing tael was ~37.3 g, and treaty-port taels varied by city (Shanghai 36 g, Canton 37.6 g). Always ask which tael.
The jin: 16 liang, 500 g — the everyday market pound from Canton to Singapore, still used by grocers across Southeast Asia.
Imperial China had no minted silver coinage for most of its history — silver circulated as ingots (sycee), cut and weighed at every transaction. The liang was money itself.
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