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UNDER DEVELOPMENT
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December 2020
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The Place Names of Chinese Paper Money
Branch and other place names appear frequently on Chinese paper money, with and often without romanization. Even when the latter is provided, there are often differences in spelling or in the name used for a specific location. The format of the name can cause problems too as will be explained below.
This guide will hopefully help to reduce any difficulties in identifying a place name, and other details.
Below: various characters which may appear within or near to the issuer title, and elsewhere on paper money (before the early 1950s, all Chinese text is read from right to left (or top to bottom)
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省 (份省) - province
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州 - state, province
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市 - city
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市治自 - municipality
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鎮 - town
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縣 - county, district
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區 - district
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會商 - chamber of commerce
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官 - official
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局 - bureau
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部 or 系 - department
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行 - bank, usually with 銀 - silver
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業 - industry, 業務 - business
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錢 - money
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鈔票 - banknote, paper money
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金 - gold
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文 - cash
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銅 - copper
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圓 or 元 - yuan (dollar)
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分 - cents/fen
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角 - jiao (10 cents/fen)
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華民 - appears within or at the beginning of a date
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With Chinese paper money, the occasionally unusual layout of the characters can cause problems:
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Right: Yung Ho Ch'eng 永合成 (an unidentified small business) of Ch'ingchou (Qingzhou) 州青city in Shantung (Shandong) province. 30 cents - 3 chiao/jiao. 1939? This is a good example of how the layout of the characters (text) on some more obscure Chinese issues can cause difficulties. As highlighted below right, the name of the city is split into two, with the title of the business appearing between in slightly larger script. |
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Romanized place name: principle old and new forms, plus a brief description
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Additional romanized and other varients of the place name
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The Chinese place name; traditional (read right to left), and modern (read left to right)
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Amoy, Xiamen
A port city of South-Eastern Fukien (Fujian) province, East China. A former treaty port |
Siming
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門廈 - 厦门
As Siming 州明思 (?) |
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Anhwei, Anhui
A landlocked province of East China. The provincial capital moved from An-ch'ing (Anqing) to Ho-fei (Hefei) in 1946 |
Ngan-hui
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徽安 - 安徽
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Canton, Guangzhou
A major port and capital of Kwangtung (Guangdong) Province, South China. A former treaty port |
Kwangchow
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州廣 - 广州
穗 |
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Chahar
A former province of North China, renamed Qahar and reduced in size in 1948. Abolished in 1952. |
Chaha'er, Chakhar, Qahar
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爾哈察 - 察哈爾
察哈尔 (Qahar) |
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Chekiang, Zhejiang
A coastal province of East China |
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江浙 - 浙江
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Chengtu, Chengdu
Capital of Szechuan (Sichuan) province. Last mainland city to be controlled by the Kuomintang (Guomindang), surrendering in late December 1949 |
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都成 - 成都
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Chihli, Zhili
A province of North China, established in 1911, and renamed Hopeh (see below) in 1928 |
Now Hopeh (Hebei)
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省隸直 - 直隶省
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Fukien, Fujian
A coastal province of (South) East China. Since the 1949 revolution, the province has been split, with Taiwan (ROC) maintaining control of various small coastal islands |
Hokkien
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建福 - 福建
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Hangchow, Hangzhou
Capital of Chekiang (Zhejiang) province |
Hangchou
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塘錢 - 钱塘
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Harbin
Currently the provincial capital of Heilongjiang province, North East China |
ХАРБИНЪ Харбин
Kharbin, Harhpin, |
濱爾哈 - 哈尔滨
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Honan, Henan
A landlocked province of Central China |
Zhongyuan, Zhongzhou
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南河 - 河南
Also 豫 |
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Hopeh, Hopei, Hebei
One of the provinces of North China. A source of numerous minor issues of paper money |
Formerly named Chilhli (Zhili),
Yanzhao |
北河 - 河北
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Hunan
A landlocked province of (South) Central China |
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南湖 - 湖南
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Hupeh, Hubei
A landlocked province of Central China |
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北湖 - 湖北
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Jehol/Rehe
A former province within North China, restructured in 1948, abolished in 1955 The provincial capital Chengte (Chengde) was sometimes referred to as Jehol/Rehe |
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河熱 - 热河
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Kalgan, Zhangjiakou
A city formerly of the defunct North China province of Charhar. Now within Hopeh (Hebei) province |
Changchiakow
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口家張 - 张家口
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Kansu, Gansu
A landlocked province within North West China |
Kan Suh
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肅甘 - 甘肃
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Kiangsi, Jiangxi
A landlocked province within East China |
Chianghsi, Kongsi
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西江 - 江西
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Kiangsu, Jiangsu
A coastal province of East China. Nanking (Nanjing, former capital of China 1928-1949) was and remains the provincial capital. Shanghai became independent of the province in 1927 |
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蘇江 - 江苏
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Kwangsi, Guangxi
A province of South China (became an autonomous region in 1958). Borders Vietnam |
Kwanghsi, Kwangse
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西廣 - 广西
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Kwangtung, Guangdong
A coastal province of South China |
Not to be confused with Kwantung
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東廣 - 广东
粵 |
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Kweichow, Guizhou
A landlocked province of South West China |
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州貴 - 贵州
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Peking, Beijing
Capital of China 1403-1927, 1949 to present. Formerly within Hopeh (Hebei) Province, North China |
Pekin,
Peiping, Beiping (1928–1937; 1945–1949) |
京北 - 北京
平北 (as Peiping) |
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Shanghai
A major port city of East China. A municipality since 1927, and currently the highest populated city in China (and 2nd worldwide) |
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海上 - 上海
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Shansi, Shanxi
A landocked province of North China, formerly a centre of trade and banking |
Shanse
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西山 - 山西
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Shantung, Shandong
A coastal province of East China. The birthplace of ancient Chinese civilisation. A source of numerous minor paper money issues |
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東山 - 山东
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Shensi, Shaanxi
A landlocked province within North West China |
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西陝 - 陕西
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Szechuan, Sichuan
A landlocked province of South West China |
Szechwan
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川四 - 四川
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Taiyuan
Capital of Shansi (Shanxi) province |
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原太 - 太原
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Tientsin, Tianjin
A major port city of North China, near to Peking (Beijing). A municipality from 1927 to present (with a gap during 1930-1935 as the capital of Hopeh Province) |
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津天 - 天津
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