China, Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang (9-23 Ce), Cash Coins(C)

Wang Mang was a high-ranking court official whose rebellion and short-lived dynasty divides the Western and Eastern Han periods. Modern scholars have portrayed him as China’s first communist, with failed attempts to redistribute land to the peasantry, tax the rich and take the currency of its ancient gold standard. However, we may never know the real story, later Han historians rewrote the events of his reign to suit their needs. With modern communist Chinese historians seeking to enhance the myth of a socialist reformer in ancient China.