New “auspicious” collectible coins bearing traditional Chinese motifs are set to be released Thursday by the country’s central bank, according to an announcement Tuesday.
Numbering 105,000 in total, the limited-edition coins come in seven designs — including two that are heart-shaped — which feature depictions of cats, magpies, and plum blossoms, among other images, to represent themes like longevity and prosperity. Authorized dealers will be selling the coins individually and in complete sets of seven: China Gold Coin Inc., for example, has the seven-coin sets priced at 9,090 yuan ($1,360) each.
On Chinese social media, users have expressed particular excitement for the two coin designs portraying cats — the first of their kind from the People's Bank of China. “Looks like the central bank is a cat lover,” one netizen commented below a media post about the coins on microblogging platform Weibo. “I’m just here for the cat coins, I can’t resist anything with cats,” wrote another. (Image: China Gold Coin Inc.)










