1 Yuan Soccer

This piece was issued to mark China's hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, part of a broader commemorative circulation program the People's Bank ran alongside the Games. China's qualification for the 2002 World Cup — its first and, to date, only appearance — had briefly elevated football's profile domestically, but the sport never achieved the institutional support that Olympic disciplines received. The coin circulated widely and survivors in problem-free condition are harder to find than mintage figures suggest.