½ Shi Jin - Cooking Oil Stamp Shandong Province

Cooking oil rationing in China persisted well into the 1980s, a remnant of the planned economy's grip on daily commodities long after other controls had begun loosening. Shandong Province, one of China's most populous, administered its own ration coupon system independently, which is why provincial stamps like this half-shi-jin oil coupon exist as distinct issues rather than unified national instruments.

These coupons were printed in enormous quantities but survived poorly — used at the point of purchase and discarded. The half-shi-jin denomination, roughly 250 grams, reflects the granularity of rationing at the household level.