Chapter 1

After consulting some historical records and semi-professional experts, I learned about the prices during the Tang Dynasty's peak period, specifically at the end of the Zhen Guan era and the beginning of the Kai Yuan era.

During times of low prices, in years of abundant harvest, one dou of rice (approximately 13 pounds) cost five wen. The average price of rice during the Zhen Guan and Kai Yuan eras was twenty wen. A bolt of silk (medium-quality silk fabric) was about 1,500 wen. A bolt of silk in the Tang Dynasty was not as wide as in modern times but was roughly half the width. A modern bolt of silk, which is several dozen meters long, would not cost several thousand yuan.

Therefore, when considering prices, we must take into account factors such as industrial productivity. In terms of purchasing power, using basic living necessities as a benchmark and including taxes, my conclusion is that after multiple calculations, one wen is roughly equivalent to 4.2 to 4.8 yuan today.

Of course, during times of war and chaos, prices were quite shocking. For example, in the first year of the Wu De era, rice cost more than 300 wen per dou, with the highest prices reaching nearly 1,000 wen. During the An Shi Rebellion, prices were even higher. In the late Tang Dynasty, they were even higher still.

Therefore, when calculating prices, we are referring to peacetime. The ratio is 1:5.

I hope fellow readers can provide additional information. This is the conclusion I reached based on the materials I consulted. If there are any errors, please feel free to point them out.

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