The "Auspicious Matters" series drew on a deep well of folk iconography that had survived decades of official suppression under Mao — imagery associated with prosperity, longevity, and good fortune that the Cultural Revolution had branded as feudal superstition. By the late 1990s, the China Mint was actively rehabilitating this visual tradition through collector coinage aimed squarely at the overseas Chinese market and domestic gift-giving customs tied to Lunar New Year and wedding presentations.
KM#1174.2 denotes the fan-shaped variant within this issue, distinguishing it from the rectangular 1174.1 format struck the same year.
The "Auspicious Matters" series drew on a deep well of folk iconography that had survived decades of official suppression under Mao — imagery associated with prosperity, longevity, and good fortune that the Cultural Revolution had branded as feudal superstition. By the late 1990s, the China Mint was actively rehabilitating this visual tradition through collector coinage aimed squarely at the overseas Chinese market and domestic gift-giving customs tied to Lunar New Year and wedding presentations.
KM#1174.2 denotes the fan-shaped variant within this issue, distinguishing it from the rectangular 1174.1 format struck the same year.