China marks 40 years of polar exploration with commemorative coins

The People's Bank of China (PBOC), China's central bank, will issue a set of commemorative coins celebrating the country's polar exploration efforts on April 17, 2024, to mark the 40th anniversary of China's first polar scientific expedition, according to the PBOC's website.

The set will include a gold coin and a silver coin, both of which will be round and legal tender in China.

The obverse of the 8-gram commemorative gold coin features China's national emblem, country name, and year of issuance. (Photo/PBOC)

The obverse of the 30-gram commemorative silver coin features China's national emblem, country name, and year of issuance. (Photo/PBOC)

The obverse side of the coins will feature the national emblem, the country's name, and the year of issuance.

The reverse side of the gold coin will showcase pictures of penguins and China's polar icebreaker Xuelong. It will also include a combination of images depicting a partial map of the Antarctic with dots indicating the locations of China's five Antarctic research stations, a fixed-wing aircraft for polar flight, and Chinese characters reading "The 40th Anniversary of China's First Polar Expedition," as well as the coin's denomination.

The silver coin's reverse design will primarily feature the country's research icebreaker Xuelong 2, a scene of Chinese scientists extracting ice core samples, and a polar bear. Images of a partial Arctic map with dots representing China's two Arctic research stations, the aurora borealis, Chinese characters reading "The 40th Anniversary of China's First Polar Expedition," and the coin's denomination will also appear on the reverse side.

The reverse of the 8-gram commemorative gold coin features China's polar exploration endeavors. (Photo/PBOC)

The reverse of the 30-gram commemorative silver coin features China's polar exploration endeavors. (Photo/PBOC)

The gold coin will have a face value of 100 yuan ($13) and a maximum mintage of 10,000 pieces. It will contain 8 grams of pure gold and measure 22 millimeters in diameter.

The silver coin will have a diameter of 40 millimeters and a face value of 10 yuan. It will contain 30 grams of pure silver, and its maximum mintage will be 50,000 pieces.