China Banknotes

China Banknotes

China banknotes
China paper money catalog and Chinese currency history

  • A brief monetary history:
  • Tael = 10 Ch'ien = 100 Fen = 1.000 Cash
  • Yuan = Dollar = 10 Chiao = 100 Cents = 100 Fen =100 Hsien
  • For other issues see:
  • China Peoples Republic
  • Hong Kong
  • Macao
  • Taiwan
  • Japanese Occupation of China
  • Manchukuo
  • Russian Occupation of Manchuria
  • Foreign Banks in China
  • Chinese Provincial Banks
  • Chinese Communist Banks
  • Chinese Military
  • To purchase Chinese banknotes, please check our inventory :
    [ World Banknotes (part 1): countries A-F ] - [ World Banknotes (part 2): countries G-M ] - [ World Banknotes (part 3): countries N-Z ]

Pick # / Date
EMPIRE
AA2-10 / 1368-99 /
20, 300, 1.000 cash
A1-8 / 1853-59 /
500, 1.000, 1.500, 2.000, 5.000, 10.000, 50.000, 100.000 cash
A9-13 / 1853-59 /
1, 3, 5 10, 50 Tael
- General Bank of Communications
A14-9 / 1909 / 1, 5 10 dollars; Canton, Hankow, Kaifeng, Shanghai, Swatow, Wusih or Yingkow Branch
- Hu Pu Bank
A24 / 1905 / 1 dollar
A25-35 / (1909) / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 50, 100, 500 Teals
- Imperial Bank of China
A36-8 / 1898 / 1, 5, 10 dollars; Canton Branch
A39-44 / 1898 / 5 mace, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 tales; Peking Branch
A39-44 / 1898 / 5 mace, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 tales; Peking Branch
A45-50 / 1898 / 1/2, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 tales; Sanghai Branch
A51-54A / 1898 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 dollars; Shanghai Branch
A55-55A / 1904 / 5, 10 dollars
- Imperial Chinese Railways
A56 / 1895 / 1 dollar; Peiyang Branch
A57-61 / 1895 / 1, 5, 10 dollars; Shanghai Branch
- Ningpo Commercial Bank
A61A-D / 1909 / 1, 2, 5, 10 dollars
- Ta Ch'ing Government Bank
A62-75 / 1906 / 1, 5, 10 dollars; Chinanfu, Fengtien, Foochow, Hangchow, Hankow, Hunan, Kaifong, Kalgan, Kwangchow, Peking, Shanghai, Tientsin, Urga, Wuhu, Yingkow, Yunnan Branch
A76-78B / 1909 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 dollars
A79-82 / (1910) / 1, 5, 10, 100 dollars
- Ta Ch'ing Government Bank, Shansi
A83-83J / (1911) / 1, 3, 100, 1.000 tales
REPUBLIC
- Agricultural Bank of Four Provinces
A84-87 / (1933) / style
10, 20, 20, 50 cents, 1 dollar
A88-90 / (1933) / 1, 5, 10 dollar; ovpt on Hupeh Provincial Bank
A91A-91E / 1934 / 10, 20 cents, 1 dollar
- Agricultural and Industrial Bank
A92-5, A99-101, A105-6 / 1927 / style
10, 10, 20, 20, 20, 50 cents, 1, 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10 dollars
A96-7, A103--4 / 1927 / 1, 1, 10, 10 Yuan
A107-11 / 1932 /
10, 20 cents, 1, 5, 10 Yuan
A112 / 1934 / 1 Yuan
- Bank of Agriculture and Industrce
A113-7 / 1921 / 1, 5, 5, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
A117A-B / 1922 / 1, 5 dollars
A117C-D / 1922 / 1, 5 Yuan
A118-20 / 1926 / 1, 5, 10 Yuan
- China Silk and Tea Industrial Bank
A120A-C / 1927 /
1, 5, 10 dollars
- China and South Sea Bank
A121-23B / 1921 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
A124-5 / 1924 / 5, 10 Yuan
A126-31 / 1927 /
1, 5, 5, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
A132-3 / 1931-2 / 1, 5 Yuan
- Commercial Bank of China
A133A-C / (1913) / 1, 5, 10 dollars; ovpt on Imperial Bank of China
A134-8 / 1920 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 Teals
1-8 / 1920 / style
1, 1, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 50, 100 dollars
9-10 / 1920 /
5, 10 dollars
11 / 1929 / 1 dollar
12-13A / 1929 / 1, 1, 1 dollar
14-5 / 1932 / style
5, 10 dollars
- Bank of China
16-8 / (1912) / 1, 5, 10 dollars; ovpt on Ta Ching Government Bank
25-7 / 1912 /
1, 5, 10 dollars
29--29A / (1913) / 5, 10 dollars; ovpt on Provincial Bank of Kwantung
30-32B / 1913 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 dollars
32C / 1913 / 1 dollar; ovpt on Chihli
33-35B / 1914 /
1, 5, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
36--7 / 1914 / 20, 50 cents
37D-F / 1915 / 1, 5, 10 dollars
37J-N / 1917 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 dollars
38-40 / 1917 / 1, 5, 10 dollars; Tientsin
41-45 / 1917 / 5, 10, 10, 20, 50 cents
46-46A / (1918) /
5, 10 fen
47 / 1918 / 2 Tiao
48-54C / 1918 / 10, 0, 50 cents, 1, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 50, 50, 100, 100 dollars
56-60 / 1919 / style
10, 50 coppers, 1, 5, 10 Yuan
61 / 1920 / 100 coppers
62 / 1924 / 10 Yuan
63-65 / 1913 / style
10, 20, 50 cents
65A-C / 1925 / 1, 5, 10 dollars; ovpt Mukden, Manchuria
65E-F / 1925 / 5, 10 dollars
66 / 1926 /
5 Yuan
67-9 / 1930 /
1, 5, 10 dollars
70 / 1931 /
5 Yuan
71 / 1934 /
1, 1, 5, 5, 10 Yuan
74-5 / 1935 / 1, 10 Yuan
76-7 / 1935 /
1, 5 Yuan
78 / 1936 /
1 Yuan
79-81 / 1937 /
1, 5, 10 Yuan
81A-C / 1939 / 1, 5, 10 Yuan
82-88 / 1940 /
10, 20 cents 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 Yuan
89-97 / 1941 /
10, 20 cents, 1, 5, 5, 10, 10, 100, 500 Yuan
98-100 / 1942 /
50, 500, 1.000 Yuan
- Bank of Communications
102-9 / 1912 / 50, 100, 500, 1.000 cents, 1, 1, 5, 10, 100 dollars
110-11C / (1913) / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 dollars
112-20 / (1914) /
5 fen, 1, 2, 5 Chiao, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
121-22B / 1915 / 50, 100, 500, 1.000 cents
123-24A / 1917 / 10, 20, 50 cents
125-7 / 1919 / 1, 5, 10 Yuan
128-30B / 1920 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
131-3 / 1923 / 1, 5, 10 dollars
134-7 / 1924 / 1, 5, 10, 20 Yuan
138-9 / 1925 /
10, 20 cents
140-44 / 1927 /
5, 10, 10, 20, 50 cents
145-47C / 1945 / 1, 1, 1, 1, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 10, Yuan
148 / 1931 /
1 Yuan
149-51 / (1935) / 1, 5, 10 Yuan; ovpt on National Industrial Bank of China
152 / 1935 / 1 Yuan; ovpt
153-5 / 1935 /
1, 5, 10 Yuan
156-63 / 1941 /
5, 5, 10, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 Yuan
164-5 / 1942 /
50, 100 Yuan
165A-D / (1949) / 500, 1.000, 2.000, 5.000 Yuan; cashier's check
166 / (1949) / 1.000 gold Yuan; cashier's check
- Central Bank of China
167-9 / (1928) /
10, 20, 50 coppers
170 / (1928) / 5 dollars; ovpt
171-9A / 1923 /
1, 1, 1, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 50, 50, 50, 100, 100 dollars
180-A / 1923 / 5, 10 dollars; commemorative issue ovpt "death of Sun Yat Sen"
1981 / (1926) / 1 dollar; ovpt on Bank of Kiangsi
182-4B / 1926 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 dollars
185-7 / 1926 / 1, 5, 10 dollars; military issue
189-2 / 1927 / 1, 2, 5 Chiao
193-4 / (1924) /
10, 20 cents
195-9 / 1926 /
1, 5, 10, 50, 100 dollars
200 / 1926 /
5 dollars
202-5 / (1931) /
10, 20, 25, 50 cents
206 / 1934 / 1 dollar; ovpt
205B-8 / 1935 / 10, 20 cents, 1, 5, 10 Yuan
209-11 / 1936 /
1, 1, 1 Yuan; printer CHB
212-4 / 1936 /
1, 1, 5, 10 Yuan; printer TDLR
216-21 / 1936 /
1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 Yuan; printer W&S
222-3 / 1937 /
5, 10 Yuan
224-5 / 1939 /
1, 5 cents
225A / 1939 /
5 cents; pass for Nanking Military Government
226-9 / 1940 /
10, 20 cents, 10, 50 Yuan
230-43 / 1941 /
2, 2, 2, 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 20, 50, 100 Yuan
244-53 / 1942 /
5, 10, 10, 10, 20, 100, 100, 100, 500, 1.000, 2.000 Yuan
254 / 1943 /
100 Yuan
255-61 / 1944 /
50, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100 Yuan
262-9 / 1944 /
200, 400, 500, 500, 500, 500, 1.000, 1.000 Yuan
269A-77 / 1945 /
5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50 Yuan
277A-86 / 1945 /
100, 100, 100, 200, 400, 400, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500 Yuan
287-98 / 1945 /
1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000 Yuan
299-306 / 1945 /
2.000, 2.000, 2.000, 2.000, 2.500, 2.500, 5.000, 5.000 Yuan
307 / 1946 /
2.000 Yuan
308-13 / 1947 /
2.000, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000 Yuan
314-22A / 1947 /
10.000, 10.000, 10.000, 10.000, 10.000, 10.000, 10.000, 10.000, 50.000, Yuan
- - - Custom Gold Units issues
323-32 / 1930 /
10, 20 cents, 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 250, 500 custom gold units
333-4 / 1947 /
100, 500 custom gold units
335-9 / 1947 /
500, 500, 1.000, 1.000 custom gold units
340-6 / 1947 /
2.000, 2.000, 2.000, 2.000, 2.000, 2.500, 2.500 custom gold units
347-55 / 1947 /
5.000, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000, 10.000, 10.000 custom gold units
357-62 / 1948 /
2.000, 2.500, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000, 5.000 custom gold units
363--67 / 1948 /
10.000, 10.000, 10.000, 25.000, 25.000, 25.000 custom gold units
368-74 / 1948 /
50.000, 50.000, 50.000, 50.000, 50.000, 50.000, 50.000, 250.000 custom gold units
- - - 9 Northeastern Provinces issues
375-80 / 1945 /
1, 5, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 Yuan
381--86 / 1947-8 /
500, 1.000, 2.000, 2.000, 5.000, 5.000, 10.000 Yuan
- - - Gold Yuan issues
387-94 / 1945 /
1, 5, 5, 10, 20, 50, 50, 100 Yuan
395-6 / 1946 /
10, 20, 50 cents
396A-407 / 1948 /
10, 50, 50 cents, 10, 20, 20, 50, 50, 50, 50, 100, 100 Yuan
408-17 / 1949 /
100, 500, 500, 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, 5.000, 5.000, 10.000, 10.000 Yuan
418-27 / 1949 /
50.000, 50.000, 50.000, 100.000, 100.000, 500.000, 500.000, 500.000, 1.000.000, 5.000.000 Yuan
- - - Silver Yuan issues
428-38A / 1949 /
1, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 20, 20, 50, 50, 50 cents
439-49 / 1949 /
1, 1, 1, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 10, 100 Yuan
- - - branch checks issues
449-F / 1949 /
50.000 - 10.000.000 Yuan; Shanghai
449G-X / 1948 /
100.000 - 180.000.000 Yuan; Changchung
449Z / 1949 / 5.000 - 10.000.000 Yuan; Chengtu
449AF-50N / 1949 / 20.000 - 500.000 Yuan; Foochow
450O-P / 1945-7 / 100.000 - 300.000 Yuan; Kunming
450Q-S / 1948 / 100.000 - 5.000.000 Yuan; Mukden
450T / 1944 / 5.000 Yuan; Yibin
- Farmers Bank of China
451-3A / 1927 /
10, 20 cents, 1, 1 Yuan
454 / 1927 / 20 cents
455-9 / 1935 /
10, 20 cents, 1, 1, 5, 10 Yuan
460 / 1936 /
50 cents
461-2 / 1940 /
10, 10, 20 cents
463-5 / (1940) /
1, 10, 20 Yuan
467-8 / (1940) / 5, 10 Yuan; ovpt on Hupeh Provincial Bank
469 / (1940) / 1 Yuan; ovpt on Bank of Kwangtun Province
470-1 / (1940) /
5, 10 Yuan; ovpt on Hupeh Provincial Bank
472-3 / (1940) / 50, 100 Yuan; ovpt on Szechuan Provincial Bank
474-8 / 1941 /
1, 5, 50, 100, 500 Yuan
479-80 / 1942 /
50, 100 Yuan
480A-2 / 1943 /
5, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
483-4 / 1945 / 500, 1.000 Yuan; cashers check
- Great Northwestern Bank
485-90 / 1924 /
10, 20, 50 cents, 1, 5, 10 dollars
- Industrial Development Bank of China
491-96B / 1921 /
1, 1, 5, 5, 10, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
497-8 / 1927 / 10, 20 cents
499-500 / 1928 / 10, 10, 20 cents
- Land Bank of China
501-3 / 1926 / 1, 5, 10 dollars
504-6 / 1931 / 1, 5, 10 dollars
- National Bank of China, Nanking
507-10 / 1930 / 1, 5, 10 dollars
- National Bank of China, Canton
511-6 / 1921 / 10, 20, 50 cents, 1, 5, 10 dollars
- National Commercial Bank
516A-C / ND / 1, 5, 10 dollars
517-19C / 1923 /
1, 5, 10, 10 dollars
- National Industrial Bank of China
520-24 / 1922 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 Yuan
525-30 / 1924 / 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 100 Yuan
531-3 / 1931 /
1, 5, 10 Yuan
534 / 1935 / 1 Yuan
- Ningpo Commercial (and Saving) Bank
539-44 / 1920 /
1, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 dollars
545 / 1921 / 1 dollar
546-48B / 1925 / 1, 1, 5, 5, 10, 10, 100 dollars
549-50 / 1932-4 / 1, 10 dollars
- Tah Chung Bank
551-6 / 1921 /
10, 20, 50 cents, 1, 5, 10 dollars
557-A / 1921 / 1, 10 dollars
558-65 / 1932 / 10, 20, 50 cents, 1, 5, 10 Yuan
564-5 / 1938 / 1, 5 Yuan
- Bank of Territorial Development
566-8 / 1914 /
1, 5, 10 dollars
569-75 / 1915 / 5, 10, 20, 50 cents, 1, 5, 10 dollars
576-85 / 1916 /
100, 200 coppers, 10, 20, 40, 50 cents, 1, 5, 10, 50 dollars
551-6 / 1918 / 1, 5 dollars
- Ministry of Communications, Peking-Hankow Railway
585C-94 / 1921 /
5, 10, 50 dollars; 16, 24, 25, 32 or 36 month series
- Military Exchange Bureau
595 / 1927 / 1 Yuan
- Market Stabilization Currency Bureau
597-8A / (1910) / 20, 50, 100 coppers
599-603 / 1915 /
10, 20, 40, 50, 100 coppers
603A-B / 1919 / 10, 20 coppers
604- / 1919 / 10 coppers
604A-5 / 1919 / 10, 20 coppers
606 / 1920 / 20 coppers
607-8 / 1921 / 10, 10, 20 coppers
609-11 / 1922 / 10, 20, 20 coppers
612-5 / 1923 /
10, 10, 20, 40 coppers
616-22 / 1923 /
10, 20, 50 cents, 1, 5, 10, 100 Yuan
- Special Circulating Notes
623-5 / 1923 /
1, 5, 10 Yuan
- Fixed Term, Interest-Bearing Treasury Notes
626-8 / 1919-20 /
1/2, 1, 5 Yuan
629-31 / 1922 / 1, 5, 10 Yuan
632-7 / 1923 / 1, 1, 5, 5, 10, 10 Yuan
- Short Term, Interest-Bearing Exchange Notes
638-40 / 1922 /
1, 5, 10 Yuan
- Interest-Bearing Circulating Notes
641-3 / 1923 /
1, 5, 10 Yuan
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