Manchu first, Chinese later

It was the Manchus who called the shots during the last three centuries of the Chinese empire (1644-1912). They are the ones who sat upon the dragon throne in the Forbidden City. The dragon symbolized the imperial mandate. It was not just a dragon: it was one equipped with five claws, as you can see on the decorative edge surrounding this banknote.

The dragon along with everything blue on this banknote was printed on the paper all at once. Groups of employees divided a large sheet of paper over multiple blocks and in this way produced the basis for this banknote. A team of eight men wrote on the banknotes, added seals and oversaw the printing process.

Underneath the dragon we see - from left to right - two lines in the most important court language of the time: Manchu. This language is closely related to Mongolian and Turkic. Putting Manchu at the top of this banknote, right before Chinese, was therefore not surprising. Besides a statement, the addition of Manchu was also an extra safety measure.