Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | People's Republic of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 2000 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Yuan (20元, 贰拾圆) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | 2000 - Proof - 11,800 |
| Additional information |
The Dunhuang Grottoes — more precisely the Mogao Caves — were not "found" in any conventional archaeological sense. The site had been continuously known to local communities for centuries. What the 2000 centenary marks is the 1900 rediscovery by Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu of the sealed Library Cave (Cave 17), which contained tens of thousands of manuscripts and painted textiles dating back to the 4th century. Wang's subsequent sale of those documents to Aurel Stein and Paul Pelliot remains one of the most contentious episodes in the history of Chinese cultural patrimony.