5 Yuan Tao Ying Ding (Pottery eagle tripod)

Part of China's ongoing "Tao" cultural relics bullion series, this issue draws from the tradition of bronze and ceramic ritual vessels that defined Zhou-dynasty ceremonial practice. The ying ding — an eagle-form tripod — occupies a specific niche within that typology, distinct from the more familiar round ding, and its appearance on a state-issued silver coin reflects the People's Bank's deliberate policy since the 1990s of anchoring precious metal issues to museum-held antiquities rather than abstract national symbols.