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1 Fen Shanxi Province First Prison
| Issuer | Shanxi Province First Prison |
|---|---|
| Year | 1958 |
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| Currency | Rénmínbì (1955-date) |
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| Obverse description | Purple letterpress print on buff-yellow paper with a simple decorative border of repeating foliate and geometric motifs enclosing all text. The denomination 壹分 is set in large Chinese characters at centre, flanked by usage restriction inscriptions. A red serial number in Latin-style numerals appears below the denomination, with the date 一九五八年十月 at foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 1 山西省第一監獄 犯人購貨證 只限犯人 監內使用 壹分 不得外傳 或借用 一九五八年十月 (Translation: Shanxi Province First Prison. Inmate purchase goods voucher. For use inside the prison only. Restricted to inmates only. 1 Fen. Not allowed to be passed outside or borrowed. October 1958.) |
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| Comments |
Prison-issued scrip in the People's Republic was a product of the laogai system's internal economy — inmates earned credits for labor quotas and could spend them at the prison canteen on approved goods. The Shanxi Province First Prison issued this 1 Fen note in 1958, deep in the Great Leap Forward period, when even the broader monetary system was under strain and self-contained institutional currencies multiplied across state facilities.
Brown paper stock was typical of low-denomination prison scrip, partly for cheapness and partly to distinguish it visually from official RMB. These notes were never intended to leave the facility walls, which is precisely why survivors are rare.