Part of the People's Bank of China's "Sages and Scholars of Ancient China" gold series, this 1994 issue commemorates King Wen of Zhou, the posthumously titled ruler credited with expanding the Zhou state's power while nominally still a vassal of the Shang dynasty. Tradition holds he composed or compiled the core text of the I Ching while imprisoned by the Shang king Zhou Xin — a claim disputed by modern scholars but deeply embedded in Chinese historiographical identity.
The series was produced in limited runs for the collector market and saw negligible circulation.
Part of the People's Bank of China's "Sages and Scholars of Ancient China" gold series, this 1994 issue commemorates King Wen of Zhou, the posthumously titled ruler credited with expanding the Zhou state's power while nominally still a vassal of the Shang dynasty. Tradition holds he composed or compiled the core text of the I Ching while imprisoned by the Shang king Zhou Xin — a claim disputed by modern scholars but deeply embedded in Chinese historiographical identity.
The series was produced in limited runs for the collector market and saw negligible circulation.