China: The traditional and ancient art of calligraphy features on gold and silver Proof coins

The People’s Bank of China has released (27th July) their third set of gold and silver commemorative coins featuring designs focusing on the traditional art of Chinese calligraphy. Steeped in tradition and carried on for centuries, many calligraphers have become as well known and admired as artists who created masterpieces and whose work has become sought after. The art of calligraphy is considered as one of Asia’s oldest forms of communicative art, essentially telling a story and adding to the element with images of symbols representing words or expressions.

The first set of coins dated 2018 featured the style and era of Sea Script (zhuànshū) which was prevalent during the latter half of the first millennium BC. The second set dated 2019 focused on Chinese calligraphy which featured the style of Li Shu (or “Chancery”) script. The designs in this series of five coins dated 2021 feature regular script (kaishu), which is the most recent of the Chinese script styles and the most common style in modern writings, as well as the third most common in publications. The set includes three 10-yuan silver coins, one 50-yuan rectangular coin, and one 100-yuan gold coin as in the previous two sets.

The set of gold and silver commemorative coins are produced jointly by the Shenyang Mint Company, Ltd., the Shanghai Mint Company, Ltd., and the Shenzhen Guobao Mint Company, Ltd., on behalf of the People’s Bank of China.

10 yuan, first coin: Designed by Liu Ronglu, Li Zhenkai, Jiang Qianqian, and Wang Hailun, the motif seen on the reverse side of the first coin is a combination of the partial inscription and the word “Peace,” that is featured. The seal of the “Art of Chinese Calligraphy” is placed to the right of the primary design and in the background is print from the Book of Zheng Daozhao’s “Stele of Zheng Wengong,” published during the era of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The same inscription as the seal is placed along the right edge of the design.

10 yuan, second coin: Designed by Chen Yanwen, Lu Danye, and Quan Jianfeng, the reverse motif is a combination of part of the inscription on “Yan Qin Li Stele” from Yan Zhenqing’s book published during the Tang Dynasty. In the background are the words “According to Ren and Yi” with the seal of “Art of Chinese Calligraphy” placed to the lower-right of the primary script. The same inscription is seen around the left edge.

10 yuan, third coin: Designed by Huang Qin, the reverse motif is a combination of the partial texts of the “Ball of Steel” written by Zhao Mengfu, published during the Yuan Dynasty. In the background is a replication of the printed words “Magnificent and Wonderful” of Zhao Mengfu. The seal of the “Art of Chinese Calligraphy” is placed in the upper-right corner. The text “Art of Chinese Calligraphy” is also seen in a vertical direction next to the centred characters.

50 yuan, silver rectangular: Designed by Dai Yun, the reverse motif includes a combination of part of the inscription on the “Jiucheng Palace Liquan” by Ouyang Xunshu, published during the Tang Dynasty, seen to the left edge and a portion of the words “Enliven All Things.” In the background are the greater text and larger portion of the story. To the upper-right is the decorative seal of “The Art of Chinese Calligraphy Art.” To the right of the seal is the inscription “Chinese Calligraphy Art · Tang · Ouyangxun · Jiucheng Palace Liquan,” along with the denomination represented in Chinese characters.

100 yuan, gold: Designed by Song Fei, the motif featured on the reverse side of the gold coin is a combination of part of the inscription on “Shence Army Stele” from Liu Gongquan published during the Tang Dynasty along with the word “Family,” which is shown to the left. Behind and to the right in the background is text also published during the Tang Dynasty with the seal of the “Art of Chinese Calligraphy” shown to the right of the coins’ denomination of 100 yuan. The commemorative text “Calligraphy Art · Tang · Liu Gongquan · Shence Army Stele” is seen in a vertical direction to the right of the featured word.

All of the coins share the same obverse design, which is designed by Wang An, Li Jiye, and Hao Wangshu. The motif includes the inscription “China” in stylised calligraphy centred with the country’s name in contemporary Chinese characters placed above and the year of issue, 2021, placed below.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Maximum Mintage
10 yuan x 3	.999 Silver	30 g	40 mm	Proof	20,000 (each)
50 yuan	.999 Silver	150 g	80 x 50 mm	Proof	5,000
100 yuan	.999 Gold	8 g	22 mm	Proof	10,000

Each silver and gold coin is available as an individual purchase and is distributed by China Gold Coin Corporation. For details about these and other coins released by the People’s Bank of China, please visit the website of the China Gold Coin Network or e-mail at

❑

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!