 According to the standard "weights and measures" (度量衡) of Qin, one tael was 24 "zhu" (equivalent to about 14.4 grams).A "Ban Liang" cash coin, which means "half liang" or "half tael", would therefore be about 7.2 grams in weight.The Ban Liang cash coins further introduced the tradition of stringing coins together with a rope for convenience; this was because of its round shape with a square hole, something future Chinese coins would continue to do until the early days of the Republic of China in the 1910s AD.