Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Merchants in Sichuan began issuing promissory notes that the state later took over. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Institution, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a history fact?

Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Song China printed the first government paper money

Merchants in Sichuan began issuing promissory notes that the state later took over In the eleventh century, Sichuan merchants issued paper notes called jiaozi to avoid hauling heavy iron coins. The Song government took the scheme over in 1024 and printed notes from wooden blocks, making it the first state-issued paper currency. Inflation followed as later regimes printed more notes than they could redeem. It sits in Mondo's history collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Smithsonian Institution

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: paper-money, song-dynasty, currency

Song China printed the first government paper money: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Merchants in Sichuan began issuing promissory notes that the state later took over. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Institution, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a history fact?: Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.