10 Shi Jin - Coarse Grains Food Stamp Xichang City, Sichuan

Chinese local food stamps (粮票) were a product of the planned economy's rationing apparatus, which persisted in various forms from 1955 until the system was formally abolished nationally in 1993. Municipal and county-level bureaus issued their own stamps alongside provincial and national series, creating thousands of distinct local types — Xichang's being among the less commonly encountered Sichuan issues. The coarse grains designation (粗粮) is the telling detail here: it distinguished rations of corn, sorghum, and millet from the more desirable fine grain allocations, reflecting a rationing hierarchy most urban residents actively tried to avoid drawing against.

Xichang issues from this period rarely survived in quantity. Food stamps were consumable documents — used, torn, and discarded — and few holders had reason to preserve them.