Commemorative Banknote Celebrates Year of the Dragon

2024 heralds the Year of the Loong (or Chinese Dragon) in the traditional Chinese zodiac calendar. In December 2023, the People’s Bank of China issued a commemorative 20 yuan banknote for the 2024 Chinese Zodiac New Year, crafted from polymer substrate and manufactured by the Beijing Banknote Printing Co, a subsidiary of China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation.

Loong is one of the fictitious creatures in ancient Chinese mythology. Its image combines the forms of various animals, and has evolved with the development of Chinese civilization. Ultimately, it takes on the form of a deer’s antlers, camel’s head, rabbit’s eyes, snake’s neck, shen’s abdomen (shen is a sea monster in Chinese mythology), fish scales, eagle’s claws, tiger’s paws, and ox’s ears.

The image of the dragon has a long history in China, with the pictograph for the loong appearing in oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty (approximately 16001046 BCE). Unlike the Western concept of a dragon, the Chinese dragon symbolises nobility and auspiciousness, holding significant status and influence in the hearts of the Chinese people.