China to issue commemorative coins for new world heritage site of Quanzhou

The obverse of the 150-gram commemorative gold coin featuring UNESCO World Heritage serial site “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China.”

The People’s Bank of China, China’s central bank, is going to issue on July 25 a set of commemorative coins featuring “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China,” which is a UNESCO World Heritage serial site that illustrates the vibrancy of Quanzhou, in southeast China’s Fujian Province, as a maritime emporium during China’s Song and Yuan dynasties (10th - 14th centuries AD) and its interconnections with the country’s hinterland.

The set will include two gold and two silver coins, with all of them being round in shape and legal tender. All the coins will feature the national emblem, the country name and year of issuance on the obverse; and the reverse side will meanwhile be inscribed with the various denominations, Chinese characters reading “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China,” and combinations of pictures and elements from some of the 22 sites that together make up the heritage attraction of “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China.”

One of the two gold coins will be 60 mm in diameter, contain 150 grams of pure gold and have a face value of 2,000 yuan (about $296.4). The reverse side of this gold coin will feature images of a statue of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu inside the Tianhou Temple in Quanzhou, which was originally built in 1196 AD during the Song Dynasty to worship Mazu, as well as the main hall of Tianhou Temple, water and Quanzhou’s coastline during the Song and Yuan dynasties.

The other gold coin, with a diameter of 22 mm and 8 grams of pure gold, will have a denomination of 100 yuan. The reverse side of the gold coin will feature images of the Jiuri Mountain Wind-Praying Inscriptions found in Nan’an county of Quanzhou city, local merchant ships of Quanzhou from the Song Dynasty, auspicious clouds and waves on the high seas.

The maximum issuing numbers of the 150-gram and 8-gram gold coins will be 1,000 and 10,000, respectively.

One of the silver coins will contain 500 grams of pure silver and have a diameter of 90 mm and a denomination of 150 yuan. The reverse of this silver coin will feature images of Quanzhou’s Luoyang Bridge and the east and west pagodas of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, as well as oriental variegated coralbean flowers and ships.

The other silver coin, which will have a face value of 10 yuan, will contain 30 grams of pure silver and will be 40 mm in diameter. Its reverse side will feature images of the Statue of Lao Tze in Fengze district of Quanzhou, trees, and mountains.

The maximum issuing numbers of the 500-gram and 30-gram silver coins will be 3,000 and 20,000, respectively.