Apr 18th, 2016 - CHEN Yanliang, “Characteristics of Monetary Liquidity in Medieval China” (Si-mian Lectures on Humanities No. 289)

Title: Characteristics of Monetary Liquidity in Medieval China

Lecturer: CHEN Yanliang (Professor, Department of History, Donghua University, Hualian)

Chairperson: MOU Fasong (Professor, Department of History, East China Normal University)

Date: 3 pm, April 18th, 2016 (Wednesday)

Venue: Room 5303, Building of School of Humanities, Minhang Campus, ECNU

Sponsor: Si-mian Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities, ECNU

Abstract of the Lecture:

In this lecture, with the emphasis on the concept of liquidity, I examine the “dual liquidity dilemma”, which refers to the co-existence and the intertwining of deflation and inflation, in medieval Chinese economy. I argue that the dilemma was the consequence of the following factors: the insufficient currency supplies, the repeatedly minted low value money, the frequent policy change, and the massive coin cutting. The dilemma was characterized with the pattern of “the alternative inflation disturbance in the long-term deflation.” This dual liquidity dilemma is supported by both textual resources and archeological evidence. It became one of the major forces in shaping the socio-economic structure of this time period.

Brief Introduction of the Lecturer:

CHEN Yanliang,

Graduated from Tsinghua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan;

History Master (1997), Doctor (2003);

Assistant Professor, Department of history, Donghua University, Hualian (2004-2008);

Associate Professor, Department of history, Donghua University, Hualian (2008~2014);