The first series of Renminbi banknotes was introduced during the Chinese Civil War by the newly founded People's Bank of China on December 1, 1948, ten months before the founding of the People's Republic of China itself. It was issued to unify and replace the various currencies of the communist-held territories as well as the currency of the Nationalist government.
This series is also called "Old Currency", which 10,000 yuan is equal to 1 yuan of the 2nd series and later (called "New Currency").
Due to the turbulent political situation at the time, the first series is rather chaotic, with many versions issued for each denomination. The banknotes show a mixture of agricultural and industrial scenes, modes of transportation, and famous sites.
The notes were issued in 12 denominations: ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥20, ¥50, ¥100, ¥200, ¥500, ¥1,000, ¥5,000, ¥10,000 and ¥50,000, with a total of 62 designs. They were officially withdrawn on various dates between April 1, 1955, and May 10, 1955.
Some of these notes have words "Republic of China" on them to show the issuance year in the Republic of China Era. Though the PRC adopted the Common Era to replace the ROC Era in 1949 and have been avoiding using "Republic of China" in any possible circumstance, these notes were issued and used until 1955, when a revaluation of Reminbi took place.
List ¥1 ImageObverseReverse Date of issueWorkers and farmersFlower symbolJanuary 10, 1949FactoryFlower ballAugust 1949
¥5 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueShepherdFlower symbolFebruary 23, 1949SailboatFlower symbolJanuary 10, 1949Cow and horse buggyFlower ballJuly 1949SpinningFlower ballAugust 1949
¥10 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueIrrigation field and mine Flower symbolDecember 1, 1948Sawn timber and plowFlower symbolFebruary 23, 1949Railway StationFlower symbolMay 25, 1949Workers and farmersTempleAugust 1949
¥20 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueDonkey and trainBig flower ballDecember 1, 1948Coal mines carFlower symbolFebruary 23, 1949Longevity Hill of Summer PalaceFlower symbolJuly 1949Working areaFlower ballAugust 1949Train and sailboatFlower ballAugust 1949FieldFlower ballSeptember 1949Longevity Hill of Summer PalaceFlower ballOctober 1949
¥50 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueDonkey and tubFlower symbolDecember 1, 1948Train and bridgeCarFebruary 10, 1949June 10, 1949Workers and farmersFlower symbolAugust 1949RailwayFlower symbolMarch 20, 1949RollerCarriageOctober 3, 1949RailwayFlower symbolApril 1949
¥100 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueArable land and factoryFlower symbolJanuary 10, 1949Railway station and roadFlower symbolFebruary 5, 1949Longevity Hill of Summer PalaceTrainFebruary 5, 1949FactoryFlower symbolMarch 20, 1949Beihai BridgeFlower symbolMarch 25, 1949July 1949Ship bridgeLarge flower standAugust 1949Donkey teamFlower symbolNovember 5, 1949Longevity Hill of Summer PalaceTrainMarch 20, 1949SailboatFlower symbolJanuary 20, 1950
¥200 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueSummer PalaceFlower symbolMarch 20, 1949Pai Yundian (排云殿)Flower symbolMay 8, 1949Great Wall of ChinaFlower symbolAugust 1949Steel factoryFlower symbolSeptember 1949Cut riceFlower symbolOctober 20, 1949
¥500 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueVillageFlower symbolSeptember 10, 1949Zhengyang GateFlower symbolSeptember 10, 1949CraneFlower symbolOctober 3, 1949HarvesterFlower symbolOctober 20, 1949FarmingFlower symbolApril 1, 1951Zhandeng City (瞻德城)Flower symbol with Uyghur charactersOctober 1, 1951
¥1,000 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueArable landTemple of HeavenSeptember 11, 1949HarvestFlower symbolOctober 3, 1949Three tractorsCut wheatNovember 15, 1949Carts and plowingShipDecember 23, 1949Qiantang River BridgeFlower ballJanuary 20, 1950WranglerFlower symbol with Uyghur charactersOctober 1, 1951
¥5,000 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueCultivatorFlower symbolJanuary 20, 1950FactoryFlower ballJanuary 20, 1950CamelsFlower symbol with Mongolian charactersMay 17, 1951ShepherdFlower symbol with Uyghur charactersOctober 1, 1951Wei River Railway BridgeFlower symbolSeptember 25, 1953
¥10,000 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueShipFlower symbolJanuary 20, 1950Arable landGrazing cattle and sheepJanuary 20, 1950WranglerFlower symbol with Mongolian charactersMay 17, 1951CamelsFlower symbol with Uyghur charactersOctober 1, 1951
¥50,000 ImageObverseReverseDate of issueXinhua GateTractorDecember 1953HarvesterProduceDecember 1953
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