Issued in 1984 to mark the 35th anniversary of the People's Republic, this was part of a broader commemorative program the People's Bank deployed throughout the early reform era — a period when Beijing was simultaneously opening to foreign capital and reasserting national identity through controlled symbolism. Commemorative yuan coins of this type circulated alongside standard issues but were actively saved by the public, meaning circulated examples are genuinely harder to find than uncirculated ones.
Issued in 1984 to mark the 35th anniversary of the People's Republic, this was part of a broader commemorative program the People's Bank deployed throughout the early reform era — a period when Beijing was simultaneously opening to foreign capital and reasserting national identity through controlled symbolism. Commemorative yuan coins of this type circulated alongside standard issues but were actively saved by the public, meaning circulated examples are genuinely harder to find than uncirculated ones.