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5000 Yuan Central Bank of China
| Issuer | Central Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5000 Yuan |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A portrait of Sun Yat-sen is set within an oval vignette at left, printed against an elaborate guilloche underprint in green. A vignette of the Victory Gate (Zhengyangmen) occupies the right field, while the denomination in Chinese characters is rendered in large intaglio script at centre. Red serial numbers appear at upper left and upper right, with issuer and denomination inscriptions in Chinese characters throughout. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is executed in blue-grey tones, with an intricate guilloche border framing a central medallion bearing the denomination in large Chinese characters. Geometric lathe-work fills the field, and two columns of vertical Chinese text appear at left and right of the central medallion. |
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| Comments |
The 5000 Yuan denomination was introduced in 1945 as hyperinflation was already dismantling the purchasing power of the Nationalist government's currency. The fabi had been under severe strain since the wartime decision to finance military expenditure through printing rather than taxation or borrowing — a policy that accelerated dramatically after 1943. By 1945, denominations that would have been unthinkable five years earlier were routine.
The Central Bank of China Printing Works produced this domestically, a necessity since wartime conditions had severed reliable access to foreign security printers like American Bank Note Company, which had handled earlier high-quality issues. Domestic production meant reduced security features and less consistent print quality across the run.
Within three years of this note's issue date, the fabi was replaced entirely by the Gold Yuan, itself worthless before the year was out.