Abstract
In the Qin and Han dynasties, a special measurement system containing a standard measurement unit and three other special large measurement units was used to measure grains. According to the existing historical data, this system was in use for at least three hundred years. This system set measurement standards for different types of grains, and also took into consideration the difference between raw grains and processed ones. It was put in place to reduce the computational burden during the government taxation process as well as when the government dispensed food supplies to the public. However, this system had a fatal flaw, because it was based on fixed rice milling yields, which, however, fluctuated in real practice. Therefore, the system was abolished in the late Eastern Han dynasty or the Cao Wei period.
Keywords
Qin and Han dynasties, measurement of grains, standard measurement, special large measurement units, rice milling yield
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