2000 Yuan Year of the Ox

The "Year of the Ox" denomination here is nominal fiction — 2000 yuan bore no relationship to purchasing power and existed solely as a legal vessel for the gold content. China's Gold Panda and lunar series issues of this period were produced by the People's Bank of China specifically for the international bullion and collector export market, a program that expanded aggressively through the 2000s as dollar reserves accumulated and the mint sought hard-currency inflows.

At 155.5 g, this is a 5-troy-ounce piece — the largest standard size in the lunar kilo series below the full kilogram issues.