5 Kilogram - Fine Grains Stamp Xinxiang City, Henan

Grain ration coupons issued by municipal-level grain bureaus in China were an administrative product of the planned distribution system, not a monetary instrument. Xinxiang, an industrial city in northern Henan, ran its own parallel coupon economy well into the reform era — this 1990 issue came late in that system's life, as market liberalization was already eroding the rationing infrastructure that had been in place since the 1950s.

National grain coupon abolition followed in 1993, making late provincial and municipal issues like this one short-lived by design. The official seal was the only security feature deemed necessary — forgery risk was considered low given the hyperlocal redemption network.