Fifth series of the renminbi

The fifth series of the renminbi is the current coin and banknote series of the Chinese currency, the renminbi. They were progressively introduced since 1999 and consist of ¥0.1, ¥0.5, and ¥1 coins, and ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥20, ¥50, ¥100 notes. The ¥20 banknote is a new denomination, and was added in this series. All banknotes in this series feature a portrait of Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong by artist Liu Wenxi.^[1] Therefore, this series of banknotes is also known as "Grandpa Mao" among the people.^[2]

First (1999) edition

Coins of the first edition replace all 3 values from the previous series, namely ¥0.1, ¥0.5, and ¥1. The Emblem of the People's Republic of China of the previous series has been removed and the title of the state has been replaced by "People's Bank of China". The 1 jiao (¥0.1) coin also shrank in size.

The first edition includes the following coins:

5th Series Coins, First (1999) Edition^[3]
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Technical parameters		Description			Date of
			Diameter	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	year	issue	withdrawal
		1 jiao (¥0.1)	19 mm	Aluminium alloy	Plain	Bank title, value, year of minting	Orchid, with pinyin bank title	1999-2005	2000-10-16	Current
		5 jiao (¥0.5)	20.5 mm	Copper alloy-plated steel	Alternating between reeded and smooth	Bank title, value, year of minting	Lotus, with pinyin bank title	2002-2018	2002-11-18	Current
		¥1	25 mm	Nickel-plated steel	"RMB" repeated 3 times	Bank title, value, year of minting	Chrysanthemum, with pinyin bank title	1999-2018	2000-10-16	Current
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

The first edition includes the following banknotes:

5th Series Banknotes, First (1999) Edition^[4]
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description			Date of
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	Watermark	printing	issue	withdrawal
		¥1 ^1	130 × 63 mm	Yellow-green	Mao Zedong and Orchid	Three Pools Mirroring the Moon at West Lake	Orchid	1999	July 30, 2004	Current
		¥5	135 × 63 mm	Purple	Mao Zedong and Narcissus	Mount Tai	Narcissus		November 18, 2002	Limited
		¥10	140 × 70 mm	Blue	Mao Zedong and Rose	Three Gorges of the Yangtze River	Rose		September 1, 2001
		¥20	145 × 70 mm	Brown	Mao Zedong and Lotus	Scenery of Guilin	Lotus		October 16, 2000
		¥50	150 × 70 mm	Green	Mao Zedong and Chrysanthemum	Potala Palace	Mao Zedong		September 1, 2001
		¥100	155 × 77 mm	Red	Mao Zedong and Prunus mume	Great Hall of the People			October 1, 1999
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Remark

1. The ¥1 note, introduced on July 30, 2004, can also be argued as a member of the second edition because it shares similar new security features that are introduced in the banknotes of the second (2005) edition.

The new banknotes incorporate several measures to foil counterfeiting, including watermarks and inks that fluoresce under ultraviolet light. All but the ¥1 banknote have a metallic strip, and the ¥50 and ¥100 banknotes also feature numbers which change colour when viewed from different angles. The portrayals of different leaders on the ¥100 banknote, and of different nationalities of China, represented by two people in ethnic dress on the front of previous banknotes, have also been uniformly replaced with the image of Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong.

Those 1999 banknotes except the ¥1 were partly withdrawn since April 1, 2018 due to high quality counterfeits notes in circulation.

Second (2005) edition

The 2005 edition was introduced on August 31, 2005, with the following banknotes and coins:

• banknotes: ¥5, ¥10, ¥20, ¥50, ¥100
• coins: ¥0.1

There is no difference in the basic color and design between the banknotes of the 1999 and 2005 edition. However, new security (anti-counterfeit) features are added in the 2005 edition that distinguishes the two. The differences as compared to the 1999 edition are:

• Dated 2005
• The currency number at the bottom of the reverse is added with “YUAN” indicating the pinyin of the unit (圓) in the Chinese language.
• Added EURion constellation to deter computer-aided counterfeiting
• Removal of fibre threads
• Removal of the second set of serial number on ¥50 and ¥100 banknotes
• Prominent raised ink printing on the right side of obverse

The material of the new ¥0.1 coin is stainless steel, rather than duralumin (an aluminum alloy).

The second edition includes the following coin:

5th Series Coin, Second (2005) Edition
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Technical parameters		Description			Date of
			Diameter	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	year	issue	withdrawal
		1 jiao (¥0.1)	19 mm	Stainless steel	Plain	Bank title, value, year of minting	Orchid, with Pinyin bank title	2005-2018	2005-08-31	Current
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

The second edition includes the following banknotes:

5th Series Banknotes, Second (2005) Edition
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description			Date of
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	Watermark	printing	issue	withdrawal
		¥5	135 × 63 mm	Purple	Mao Zedong and Narcissus	Mount Tai	Narcissus	2005	August 31, 2005	Current
		¥10	140 × 70 mm	Blue	Mao Zedong and Rose	Three Gorges of the Yangtze River	Rose
		¥20	145 × 70 mm	Brown	Mao Zedong and Lotus	Scenery of Guilin	Lotus
		¥50	150 × 70 mm	Green	Mao Zedong and Chrysanthemum	Potala Palace	Mao Zedong
		¥100	155 × 77 mm	Red	Mao Zedong and Prunus mume	Great Hall of the People
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Third (2015, 2019, 2020) edition

A new 2015 edition was introduced on November 12, 2015, for the ¥100 banknote. The new edition includes:^[5][6][7][8]

• Date of printing (2015)
• Raised ink printing on the right side of the obverse replaced with raised printing on the Great Hall of the People (reverse)
• Metallic strip replaced by a visible and colour-shifting security thread, placed on the reverse side of the note
• Restoration of the second (vertical) serial number
• Colour-shifting currency number at bottom-right of the obverse moved to the larger currency number at center of the obverse side of the note

The new 2019 edition of the fifth series of the renminbi was introduced on April 29, 2019, and was issued into general circulation on August 30, 2019, with the following banknotes and coins:

• banknotes: ¥1, ¥10, ¥20, ¥50
• coins: ¥0.1, ¥0.5, ¥1

A new 2020 edition was also introduced on July 8, 2020, for the ¥5 banknote, and was issued into general circulation on November 5, 2020.

The new design is similar to the banknotes of the 1999 and 2005 edition, with some changes made to the printing patterns of both bills and coins. Officials at the People's Bank of China also told the press that the latest issuance does not include a new 5-yuan note, which is being tested for new printing technologies in a bid to reduce counterfeiting of the Chinese currency.^[9]

The new ¥1 coin has been narrowed into 22.25 mm, 2.75 mm less than before. Also, the new ¥0.5 coin contains eight isometric serrations with the coin's color becoming nickel instead of golden yellow inside, and the inner edge of the coin is changed into a polygon from circle.^{[citation needed]}

The third edition includes the following coins:

5th Series Coins, Third (2019) Edition
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Technical parameters		Description			Date of
			Diameter	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	year	issue	withdrawal
		1 jiao (¥0.1)	19 mm	Stainless steel	Plain	Bank title, value, year of minting	Orchid, with Pinyin of bank title	2019-	2019-08-30	Current
		5 jiao (¥0.5)	20.5 mm	Nickel-plated steel	Reeded	Bank title, value, year of minting	Lotus, with Pinyin of bank title
		¥1	22.25 mm		"RMB" repeated 3 times	Bank title, value, year of minting	Chrysanthemum, with Pinyin of bank title
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

The third edition includes the following banknotes:

5th Series Banknotes, Third (2015, 2019, 2020) Edition
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description			Date of
					Obverse	Reverse	Watermark	printing	issue	withdrawal
		¥1	130 × 63 mm	Yellow-green	Mao Zedong and Orchid	Three Pools Mirroring the Moon at West Lake	Orchid	2019	August 30, 2019	Current
		¥5	135 × 63 mm	Purple	Mao Zedong and Narcissus	Mount Tai	Narcissus	2020	November 5, 2020
		¥10	140 × 70 mm	Blue	Mao Zedong and Rose	Three Gorges of the Yangtze River	Rose	2019	August 30, 2019
		¥20	145 × 70 mm	Brown	Mao Zedong and Lotus	Scenery of Guilin	Lotus
		¥50	150 × 70 mm	Green	Mao Zedong and Chrysanthemum	Potala Palace	Mao Zedong
		¥100	155 × 77 mm	Red	Mao Zedong and Prunus mume	Great Hall of the People		2015	November 12, 2015
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

References

1. Zhuan Ti (2013-04-21). "Brush with history". China Daily. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
2. . www.shobserver.com (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
3. (in Chinese). The People's Bank of China. Archived from the original on September 10, 2004.
4. [Fifth series of RMB] (in Chinese). The People's Bank of China. Archived from the original on September 16, 2004.
5. Lau, Mimi (10 August 2015). "China to issue new 100 yuan note to counter the counterfeits". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
6. "New Security-enhanced 100 Yuan Note Enters Market on Thursday". Xinhua News Agency. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.^{[dead link]}
7. China new 100-yuan note reported for 12.11.2015 introduction BanknoteNews.com. August 11, 2015. Retrieved on 2015-08-24.
8. China new 100-yuan note confirmed issued 12.11.2015 Banknote News (banknotenews.com). November 12, 2015. Retrieved on 2016-10-10.
9. "China to issue new RMB bills in August". CRI Online. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.

• [2005 edition of fifth series RMB] (in Chinese). The People's Bank of China. Archived from the original on October 13, 2005.

External links

•  China portal
•  Money portal
•  Numismatics portal

• Pictures of the 4th and 5th series at ChinaToday.com