Paper Money Vignettes 2

- Please note: this article is in the development process

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May 2021

The imagery of Chinese paper money, 2

A guide to the imagery which appears frequently (and less so) across examples of paper money, focusing mostly on the vignettes and portraits but occasionally dealing with symbols and other features. The guide will be arranged by image type. There are still many errors and omissions among catalogs and other literature.

Portraits/People: Legendary and religious figures

Emperor Huang Ti

(Born Nov.

Known as the father of modern China, Sun

His appearance on money

Su

His portraits appear on issues by:

The Central Bank of China: his was the only portrait to appear on CBC notes, dated 1923-1944, and the vast majority of notes dated 1945-1949. From 1945, some issues appear dated as 1945 and 1946 and carry the portraits of Chiang Kai Shek (often confused with Sun Yatsen), and President Lin Sen. However none of these were issued until 1948. Sun Yatsen returns to his singular depiction on CBC currency in 1949, for the final issues before the Communists triumph in October of that year.

The Bank of China: nearly all issues from 1935-1941.

The Central Reserve Bank of China: the only portrait to appear on the issues of this Japanese occupation bank.