The money trail

The money trail

Times of revolution can be, among other things, a license to print money. From such humble beginnings, the renminbi is growing to be a global currency. Chinese money is used every day, but where exactly did it come from and how did its use evolve?

The answer awaits visitors to a new exhibition in Beijing. They may well be amazed by how the currency has vividly reflected the grand picture of a Party and a country's destiny through its body of bank notes.

Witness: The Exhibition Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China opened on Wednesday at Beijing Ancient Coins Museum, located in Deshengmen Archery Tower.

Over 500 bank notes and coins used throughout the past century, on loan from collectors nationwide, are gathered for the special exhibition that reviews the growth of the CPC from a different perspective.

The currencies from the early revolutionary years of the CPC are among the most important highlights. In 1926, the earliest bank note of the CPC was issued via an agricultural bank in Central China's Hunan province. During those years, farmers, a pillar of society that supported the revolution, needed money to increase their produce, and many banks mushroomed to offer them loans.