2 Shi Liang - Food Stamp Hanyang District, Hubei

Chinese county-level food ration coupons from the 1980s occupy an odd documentary space — they are neither banknotes nor formal government securities, but they functioned as hard currency for basic grain allocation within strictly defined administrative boundaries. This particular coupon was issued by the Hanyang County Food Supply Administration, the local arm of the state rationing apparatus that had been managing grain distribution since the collectivization drives of the 1950s.

By 1987, national food rationing was in visible decline — urban reform had already loosened the system in many provinces — but county-level bureaus in Hubei continued issuing coupons well into the late 1980s as the transition to market pricing moved unevenly across regions. Hanyang's continued issuance that year reflects that administrative lag.