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Chinese Lunar Coins
In 1981, China began minting coins to commemorate the Chinese New Year. The Chinese lunar series consist of gold, silver, and platinum coins in a variety of sizes, denominations, and shapes. The reverse of each coin depicts the zodiac animal for the corresponding year of issue, while the obverse features an historical building or other notable cultural image. 1981–1992 (1st Lunar Series) The size, mintage, metal content, and even face value changed throughout the first series. This is a reflection of China's gradual adoption of the ounce over the metric gram in line with international bullion standards and China's improving economic conditions and technological advances. From 1981 to 1987 the obverse and reverse of the 8 g gold coin were the same as that of the 15 g silver coin. The exception being in 1985 when the reverse differed. 1987 seems to be special: (1) both the 5 oz. silver lunar coin and the 5 oz. silver panda coin were debuted, (2) the 5 oz. silver lunar coin was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land, the most of any country in the world, tied with Russia. Covering an area of approximately , it is the world's third largest country by total land area. The country consists of 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The national capital is Beijing, and the most populous city and financial center is Shanghai. Modern Chinese trace their origins to a cradle of civilization in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. The semi-legendary Xia dynasty in the 21st century BCE and the well-attested Shang and Zhou dynasties developed a bureaucratic political system to serve hereditary monarchies, or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiger (zodiac)
The Tiger ( 虎) is the third of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Tiger is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 寅. Years and the Five Elements People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "Year of the Tiger", while bearing the following elemental sign: Basic astrology elements 2022–2023 The Year of the Tiger does not exactly correspond with years of the commonly used Gregorian calendar. For the 2022–2023 Gregorian time period, the Year of the Tiger begins on 1 February 2022 and ends on 21 January 2023. This is a year of the Water Tiger. Classical nomenclature uses the stem-branch reckoning for this year, ''rén-yín'' (壬寅) of the sexagenary cycle. See also *Tiger *Burmese zodiac The Burmese zodiac ( my, ဇာတာ ရာသီခွင် ) is the traditional Burmese system of astronomy and astrology. While it is still an important component of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commemorative Coins
Commemorative coins are coins issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they were issued. Many coins of this category serve as collectors items only, although some countries also issue commemorative coins for regular circulation. Subcategories Commemorative coins can be seen as being of one of three types: *''Regular issue coinage'' are the normal coins intended to be used in commerce every day and are typically issued with the same design for several years, e.g. euro coins. *''Circulating commemoratives'' are intended to be used for commerce, but the design will only be issued for a limited time to commemorate an event, anniversary, person or location, among other items. Examples include the €2 commemorative coins and U.S. 50 State Quarters. *'' Non-circulating legal tender (NCLT)'' are coins which are legal tender, and thus can in theory be used to purchase goods or services, but are not intended to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piedfort
A piedfort (, ; french: pied-fort or ''piéfort'' ) is an unusually thick coin, often exactly twice the normal weight and thickness of other coins of the same diameter and pattern. Piedforts are not normally circulated, and are only struck for presentation purposes by mint officials (such as patterns), or for collectors, dignitaries and other VIPs. Piedfort is less commonly spelled "piefort". History Piedfort coins were first recorded in France and Great Britain during the Middle Ages, with the first French piedforts appearing in the 12th century. The reason the coins were minted in piedfort form was probably to prevent them from being lost among normal circulating coins. Theories for the original purpose of the earliest piedfort coins are: # As patterns for administrative approval. # As patterns to show engravers in different mints what an approved design should look like. # As reckoning counters or jetons for mint officials, akin to a simple milestone or the beads on a more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monkey (zodiac)
The monkey ( 猴) is the ninth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The year of the monkey is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 申. Years and the five elements People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "year of the monkey", while bearing the following elemental An elemental is a mythic being that is described in occult and alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsus and his subsequent fo ... sign: Basic astrology elements References Further reading * * * External links * {{Authority control Chinese astrological signs Vietnamese astrological signs Mythological monkeys de:Chinesische Astrologie#Zählung ab Jahresbeginn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goat (zodiac)
The Goat (, sometimes also translated Sheep or Ram) is the eighth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. This zodiacal sign is oftenWen Huang"Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram?"''Chicago Tribune,'' January 31, 2003. Retrieved 8 February 2015. referred to as the "Ram" or "Sheep" sign, since the Chinese word ''yáng'' is more accurately translated as Caprinae, a taxonomic subfamily that includes both goats and sheep, but contrasts with other animal subfamily types such as Bovinae, Antilopinae, and other taxonomic considerations which may be encountered in the case of the larger family of Bovidae in Chinese mythology, which also includes the Ox (zodiac). The Year of the Goat is associated with the 8th Earthly Branch symbol, 未 (''wèi''). Goat or Sheep The Chinese word ''yáng'' refers to both goats and sheep, whereas the terms ''shānyáng'' () and ''miányáng'' () refer exclusively to goats and sheep, respectiv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horse (zodiac)
The Horse ( ⾺) is the seventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. There is a long tradition of the Horse in Chinese mythology. Certain Chinese characters, characteristics of the Horse nature are supposed to be typical of or to be associated with either a year of the Horse and its events, or in regard to the personality of someone born in such a year. Horse aspects can also enter by other wikt:chronomantic, chronomantic factors or measures, such as hourly. The year of the horse is associated with the Earthly Branches, Earthly Branch symbol wiktionary:午, 午. History The lunar calendar paved the sequence of the Chinese zodiac animals. This calendar can be traced back to the 14th century B.C. Myths say that Emperor Huangdi, the first Chinese emperor, in 2637 B.C. invented the Chinese calendar, Chinese lunar calendar, which follows the cycles of the moon. In a folklore story that explains the origins of the cycle, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snake (zodiac)
The snake ( 蛇) is the sixth of the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Snake is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 巳. According to one legend, there is a reason for the order of the animals in the cycle. The story goes that a race was held to cross a great river, and the order of the animals in the cycle was based upon their order in finishing the race. In this story, the snake compensated for not being the best swimmer by hitching a hidden ride on the Horse's hoof, and when the horse was just about to cross the finish line, jumping out, scaring the horse, and thus edging it out for sixth place. The same twelve animals are also used to symbolize the cycle of hours in the day, each being associated with a two-hour time period. The hour of the snake is 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the time when the Sun warms up the Earth, and snakes are said to slither out of their holes. The month of the sna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragon (zodiac)
The Dragon, also known as Loong, () is the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Dragon is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 辰, pronounced ''chen''. It has been proposed by one academic researcher that the Earthly Branch character may have been associated with scorpions; it may have symbolized the star Antares. In the Buddhist calendar used in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, the Dragon is replaced by the nāga. In the Gurung zodiac, the Dragon is replaced by the eagle. In Old Turkic calendar it is replaced by the fish or crocodile. Early Persian translations of the medieval period change to dragon to a sea serpent although in current times is generally refer to as whale. During the Cultural Revolution, giant panda was situated in the place of the dragon although this didn't last long. Years and the Five Elements People born within these date ranges can be sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rabbit (zodiac)
The rabbit ( 兔) is the fourth in the twelve-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Rabbit is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 卯. In the Vietnamese zodiac and the Gurung zodiac, the cat takes the place of the rabbit. In the Malay zodiac, the mousedeer takes the place of the rabbit. Years and elements People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "Year of the Rabbit", while also bearing the following elemental sign: Basic astrological associations See also * Rabbit *Niiname-no-Matsuri The Niiname-sai (新嘗祭, also read Shinjō-sai and Niiname-no-Matsuri) is a Japanese harvest ritual. The ritual is celebrated by the Emperor of Japan, who thanks the Shinto deities for a prosperous year and prays for a fruitful new year. It ta ... References External links * {{Chinese Zodiac Chinese astrological signs Mythological rabbits and hares de:Chinesische Astrol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ox (zodiac)
The Ox ( 牛) is the second of the 12-year periodic sequence (cycle) of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar, and also appears in related calendar systems. The Chinese term translated here as '' ox'' is in Chinese ''niú '' ( 牛), a word generally referring to cows, bulls, or neutered types of the bovine family, such as common cattle or water buffalo. The zodiacal ox may be construed as male, female, neutered, hermaphroditic, and either singular or plural. The Year of the Ox is also denoted by the Earthly Branch symbol ''chǒu'' ( 丑). The term "zodiac" ultimately derives from an Ancient Greek term referring to a "circle of little animals". There are also a yearly month of the ox and a daily hour of the ox ( Chinese double hour, 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.). Years of the oxen (cows) are cyclically differentiated by correlation to the Heavenly Stems cycle, resulting in a repeating cycle of five years of the ox/cow (over a sixty-ye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival () as the spring season in the lunisolar calendar traditionally starts with lichun, the first of the twenty-four solar terms which the festival celebrates around the time of the Chinese New Year. Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season, observances traditionally take place from New Year’s Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February. Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, and has strongly influenced Lunar New Year celebrations of its 56 ethnic groups, such as the Losar of Tibet (), and of China's neighbours, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
