In 1951, villagers in Nanliuzhuang Village, Yu County, Zhangjiakou, traded land deeds. A 53 cm square piece of old parchment, along with a Qing dynasty scale and a copper abacus, were ingeniously framed together, creating a nostalgic decoration that also reflects the ingenuity of a collector who was originally an economist and banker from Hong Kong. This framed piece can be seen as a partial financial history of the early years after the establishment of the People?s Republic of China. It spans from the eradication of most property owners and the uncompensated distribution of land to the poorest segments of society, to the start of the collectivization movement in 1953, which reclaimed land and means of production for collective ownership, all within just two to three years. The unfortunate spendthrift in this contract traded five acres of land for just over a bushel of millet, but by 1953, he was in fact a prescient fortunate one, as all land was reclaimed by the state, or rather, owned by the Communist Party, without compensation. The deed is marked with red fingerprints and a revenue stamp issued in 1949.