East Asian architecture on coins

[Galapagos]

China Republic / East Hopei, 1 chiao, 1937.

I just received this in the post today.

I've only seen one other Chinese architecture coin that I like so much.

Must hunt it down again.

It's from a similar period, and also a puppet state coin.

[africancoins]

How about this one ?

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

[Figleaf]

That's the temple of heaven in Beijing. The other three in the series are the temple of earth, the temple of he sun and the temple of the moon. A bit like cards in a tarot game ...

When I get my scanner back I'll post another Chinese building o a coin here.

Peter

[africancoins]

Here's another.

The reverse of a Republic period 20 Cents from Fukien Province.

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

[Figleaf]

This picture comes from this site, so next time in Beijing, you can find it

Peter

[Figleaf]

Here's another...

The reverse of a Republic period 20 Cents from Fukien Province.

This is the Huang Hwa massacre memorial on Y388 and Y389. I found a pic on the net, showing that the design on the coin is pretty sloppy.

Peter

[Figleaf]

When I get my scanner back I'll post another Chinese building on a coin here.

The printer (which is also the scanner) will be out for at least another week. Here's the coin from km, as fixed up by me. I have been unable to find out which building is on the coin: Yunnan KM493, 20 cents year 38.

Peter

[translateltd]

I know nothing of the Chinese year system, Figgers. When was year 38 - and 1 or 0 ?

Dates start from the establishment of the Republic with 1912 as year 1, so add 1911 to Republican dates to get your actual AD.  The system is still used in Taiwan.

[Figleaf]

Oh no - that gives me 1949  - a combumist coin!

Not quite. The PRC wasn't established until October 1949. The last of the "official fighting" took place in 1950 and resistance in Yunnan continued until 1953.

South Korea is not China, of course, but the architecture is related. Since the end of the Korean war, the 10 won coins show Da Bo Tap pagoda, here on KM 33.1.

Peter

[Figleaf]

I had the pleasure of visiting the Bulguksa religious complex. I wasn't prepared for standing face to face with the building I knew so well from the coins, an Alice-in-Wunderland experience of walking inside a well-known picture.

Peter

[Figleaf]

Who can resist such encouragements? Let's cross over to Japan for another interesting building-on-a-coin. This may be the commonest coin in the world after the Lincoln cent, but like the Lincoln cent, it is too often taken for granted. Ladies and gentlemen (drum roll) I present you Japan Y 73a, 10 yen year 35 (1960) with the Phoenix hall of the Byodo temple in Uji (near Kyoto)

Peter

[Figleaf]

Kyoto was slated for total destruction in 1945, one of the targets of atomic bombing. The city owes its survival to the resistance of Henry Stimson, secretary of war, to that decision. Today, the city and its surrounding districts are a UNESCO world heritage site. Look here to see why.

The Phoenix Hall is in a pleasant, park-like setting. You approach it from its back, so you only slowly come to grips with the fact that the building can never be pictured on a coin, or even a picture in all its glory. It is so light and open to te eye, that it seems like a transparent, ghost-like phoenix, spreading its wings, ready to fly away.

Peter

[Figleaf]

I can't resist adding that, in spite of the throngs of tourists, the highlight of the area is the Kiyomizu complex (please follow the link and look at all the pictures and realize that it's better in 3D). Not just for its breathtaking view and dazzling architecture, but especially for being a place that is sacred to three different religions, who just get along. Bethlehem, take note. It can be done.

Peter

[translateltd]

Gorgeous photos and interesting history - my only quibble would be that your coin would appear to be dated S.54 (1979) rather than 1960 :-)

[BC Numismatics]

I'm not sure if the Shwe Dagon Pagoda appears on any coins from Burma,but I do know that is does appear on some of the banknotes from Burma,including the current notes issued by the 'Central Bank of Myanmar',along with the Chinze.

Aidan.