The development of Suzhou code has a very direct relationship with the evolution of ancient Chinese calculation and counting codes. It is entirely evolved from calculation and counting symbols.
By the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou code became a complete and unified code system, and was used as a secret code in the business world. It was then widely applied in folk society until the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, and later in official settings as well.
The clues can be seen from various old official and private account books we see today, which use Suzhou code symbols for bookkeeping. In addition, this kind of numeral was also used on the collar badges of the early Beiyang Army.
Arabic numerals were introduced to China around the 13th to 14th centuries and were called "foreign character codes" by the Chinese. At the same time, they left some records of the early transmission of Arabic numerals in China.
