50 Grams - Coarse Grains Stamp Zibo, Shandong

Grain ration coupons of this type were administered at the municipal level throughout the late command-economy period, with local grain bureaus controlling distribution tightly enough that inter-district use was typically prohibited. A Zibo-issued coupon denominated in coarse grains — as opposed to fine grain or general food ration categories — reflects the continued administrative distinction between grain types that persisted in Chinese rationing bureaucracy well into the reform era, even as market liberalization was already eroding the system's practical necessity.

National grain rationing was officially abolished in 1993. Coupons issued as late as 1990 had, in many municipalities, only a year or two of active use before the system collapsed entirely.