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20 Yuan Central Bank of China
| Issuer | Central Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A vignette of a pai-lou (traditional Chinese ceremonial gateway) set within a landscape with trees occupies the right portion of the note. The denomination 貳拾圓 is rendered in a large diamond-shaped guilloche panel at centre-left, with the bank title 中央銀行 at top centre. Marginal numerals 貳拾 repeat in the four corners, and two red seal stamps appear at the lower left. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in red-orange and dominated by an elaborate guilloche framework surrounding a large numeral 20 at centre. Two facsimile signatures appear below the central panel, identified by the printed titles ASST. GEN. MANAGER and GENERAL MANAGER. The bank title THE CENTRAL BANK OF CHINA arcs across the top within a decorative scroll border, with TWENTY YUAN and the date 1942 displayed at the foot. |
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| Comments |
The Central Bank of China Printing Works had been operating under extreme duress by 1942 — wartime displacement following the Japanese advance had forced the printing operation to relocate inland, and supply constraints pushed the bank toward simplified designs and reduced security features across the entire wartime series. P#248 sits in that compressed, high-volume phase of Chinese nationalist currency production, when maintaining note quality was secondary to keeping enough paper money in circulation to sustain a functioning economy behind contested lines.
Inflation was already accelerating sharply. By the time most of this issue reached the public, its purchasing power had begun eroding faster than new printings could compensate.