Bank of China hosts exhibition of bank notes

A commemorative banknote issued in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Macau

All five sets of the renminbi notes that have ever been issued are currently on exhibition at the Macau Tower as part of a currency exhibition held by the Bank of China, Macau Branch and the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation (CBPMC).

This is the first time the currency of the People’s Republic of China has featured in a public exhibition held outside of the financial industry.

Besides the five sets of Chinese currency that have been printed in the last 70 years, the exhibition also shows the various commemorative coins.

In order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of the Macau Special Administrative Region, the bank has dedicated a section to the Macau pataca.

In this section, banknotes issued by the Bank of China Macau Branch are on display, along with the commemorative banknote issued in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Macau SAR.

The Bank of China Macau Branch is one of the two banknote-issuing entities commissioned by the Macau government’s de-facto central bank, the Monetary Authority of Macao.

Macau’s currency is printed by the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation, the national currency printing and minting body under the supervision of the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China.

The corporation also helped Macau design and print commemorative banknotes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Centenary of the Bank of China in 2012 respectively.

Speaking at the exhibition, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong recalled that among other banknotes, both commemorative banknotes designed and printed by CBPMC have been widely applauded by the people of Macau.

On the exhibition, Leong said that it highlights the care and support offered by the mainland to Macau, considering it is the first exhibition of its kind.

In addition, he explained the design concept for the commemorative banknote. The design, featuring the Golden Lotus statue and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, symbolizes Macau’s economic achievements over the past 20 years, since its return to the motherland.

In the meantime, the building and inauguration of the bridge itself was a representation of the in-depth integration and interconnection between the jurisdictions of the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.

There are two versions of the commemorative banknote: one issued by the Bank of China and the other by Banco Nacional Ultramarino.

The front of the note depicts the Golden Lotus statue juxtaposed with the image of the issuing bank’s headquarters. The back features an image of the “Chinese Knot” bridge towers of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, set against the image of the Historic Centre of Macau.

The 20th anniversary commemorative banknote was also printed by CBPMC. Leong took the opportunity to thank the corporation for helping so that the project could be accomplished on time.

The exhibition will feature a workshop, in which experts from CBPMC and the Macau Numismatic Society will speak on the history of the Chinese renminbi and the Macau pataca. AL