China's central bank to issue heart-shaped coins on May 20

The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, will issue a set of gold and silver commemorative coins on May 20, the bank announced on its website.

May 20 is a date widely dubbed “romantic” for its phonetic resemblance to "I love you" in the Chinese language.

The set consists of eight coins, including four gold coins and four silver coins. The coins are in three shapes, including round, Ruyi, an auspicious ornamental object in the Chinese culture, and a heart. All coins are legal tender.

The Chinese characters "Jixiang," meaning auspiciousness, are displayed on the front side of the coins, which are decorated with traditional patterns symbolizing auspiciousness, along with the country name and the year of issuance.

Photo shows the front side of the 5-gram round gold coin.

Photo shows the front side of the 100-gram round silver coin.

Photo shows the front side of the 5-gram Ruyi-shaped gold coin.

Photo shows the front side of the 30-gram Ruyi-shaped silver coin.

Photo shows the front side of the 3-gram heart-shaped gold coin.

Photo shows the front side of the 30-gram heart-shaped silver coin.

Photo shows the front side of the 3-gram round gold coin.

Photo shows the front side of the 15-gram round silver coin.

The reverse side of the 5-gram round gold coin features patterns of a deer, a piece of Lingzhi mushroom and water, displaying the Chinese characters "Ren Shou Nian Feng," meaning good health for the people and a bumper year, as well as the face value of the coin.

Photo shows the reverse side of the 5-gram round gold coin.

The reverse side of the 100-gram round silver coin features patterns of a crane and rice, also displaying the Chinese characters "Ren Shou Nian Feng,” as well as the face value of the coin.

Photo shows the reverse side of the 100-gram round silver coin.

Photo shows the reverse side of the 5-gram Ruyi-shaped gold coin.

Photo shows the reverse side of the 30-gram Ruyi-shaped silver coin.

The reverse side of the 3-gram heart-shaped gold coin features patterns of a pair of flying cranes, and displays "Bi Yi Shuang Fei," meaning a pair of birds close together, as well as the face value of the coin.

Photo shows the reverse side of the 3-gram heart-shaped gold coin.

The reverse side of the 30-gram heart-shaped silver coin features patterns of a pair of birds, a rose, and lilies, and displays "Bi Yi Shuang Fei," as well as the face value of the coin.

Photo shows the reverse side of the 30-gram heart-shaped silver coin.

Photo shows the reverse side of the 3-gram round gold coin.

Photo shows the reverse side of the 15-gram round silver coin.

The 5-gram round gold coin, with a diameter of 20 millimeters, is 80 yuan in denomination and 5,000 pieces at most will be issued.

The 100-gram round silver coin, with a diameter of 60 millimeters, is 30 yuan in denomination and a maximum issuance number of 10,000.

The 3-gram heart-shaped gold coin is 50 yuan in denomination, and 20,000 at most will be issued.

The 30-gram heart-shaped silver coin is 10 yuan in denomination, with 50,000 to be issued.