The Hong Kong dollar, carrying the symbol $ and the currency code HKD, is the official currency of Hong Kong. It divides into one hundred cents, and monetary authority over it rests with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Three commercial banks hold licenses to issue banknotes: HSBC, Bank of China, and Standard Chartered. They produce…

The official currency of the People’s Republic of China is the renminbi, commonly abbreviated as RMB, and its history is woven into the story of China’s transformation from a closed, centrally planned economy into one of the most consequential financial forces in the world. The name renminbi translates directly as “people’s currency,” a designation that…

Liu Che (Emperor Wu) was born in 156 BCE and ascended to the Han throne in 141 BCE at a young age, going on to hold power for 54 years in one of the longest reigns in the history of Chinese imperial rule. He had not been first in line for succession, but shrewd maneuvering…

Few rises to power in Chinese history are as improbable as that of Liu Bang, the man who would become Emperor Gaozu of Han. He was born into an ordinary peasant family at a time when imperial ambition was considered the exclusive domain of the aristocratic class. His origins made his eventual triumph not just…

Liu Bang, who would come to rule as Emperor Gaozu of Han, stands out in Chinese history as one of the rare dynastic founders to have clawed his way up from genuinely humble origins. While most emperors could point to aristocratic blood or military pedigree, Liu Bang started life as a peasant, making his eventual…