10 Yuan Year of the Monkey

China's lunar silver series shifted to a new weight standard with this issue — moving from the long-running 1 troy ounce (.999) format to 30 grams, then correcting again to 31.104 grams, a figure that corresponds precisely to one troy ounce. The adjustment reflected an ongoing recalibration of the series under the People's Bank as it aligned bullion coin weights with international market expectations ahead of the Shanghai Gold Exchange's expansion into silver pricing.

The 2016 Monkey is also the first in the reformed lunar series struck under the updated issuance framework following China's 2015 revision of its commemorative coin regulations.