1 Dollar

The Ta Ch'ing Government Bank was established by imperial decree in 1905 as the Qing dynasty's first attempt at a centrally controlled state bank — distinct from the earlier Hu Pu Bank, which it effectively superseded in function if not immediately in name. This 1906 dollar-denominated issue reflects the broader currency reform agenda pushed through by Finance Minister Tsai-tse, who was attempting to rationalize a monetary system still fractured by regional taels, foreign treaty-port currencies, and competing provincial banks.

The CMPA, a French firm better known for its advertising and commercial print work, is an unusual choice for a note of this ambition. The bank's entire paper currency program was overtaken by the 1911 revolution before any real institutional stability could be achieved.