10 Yuan Bank of Shansi, Chahar, & Hopei

The Bank of Shansi, Chahar & Hopei was a communist-controlled regional bank established by the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region government during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It operated outside the Nationalist banking system entirely, issuing its own currency to fund guerrilla administration across three provinces where the border region's authority — never fully stable — was contested simultaneously by Japanese forces, Nationalist troops, and local warlord remnants.

By 1945, the border region's finances were under severe strain from years of blockade and military expenditure. Notes from this period circulated within a tightly controlled local economy where exchange with Nationalist fabi or Japanese military scrip was actively suppressed. The S3174C suffix indicates a distinct variety within the 1945 10 Yuan run — likely a signature or color variant.