Source: www.yaboard.com
Denominations of Chinese Money
The basic unit of Chinese currency is the yuan (元 /ywen/), spoken colloquially as kuai (块 /kwhy/). There are 10 jiao (角 /jyaoww/), known colloquially as mao (毛 /maoww/), to the yuan. The fen (分 /fnn/), 1/100th of a yuan, is so seldom used now that fen coins and notes are almost out of circulation.
Paper notes come in 1 and 5 jiao, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 yuan denominations, though the 2 yuan note is rarely seen these days. There are also 1 jiao, 5 jiao and 1 yuan coins.
How to spot fake money in China
The examples used here are for the 100 Yuan note, but they can be applied to the other denominations too.
Paper Quality: The paper used to print fake notes is smooth and crispy. Also when you ruffle the note the sounds made by the real and fake notes would be different. Hold the note the long way up and ruffle it in your hands, the sounds should be clear and distinct whereas the fake ones would emit a muffled sound. Also the fake notes will not glow when placed under an ultraviolet light.
Water Mark: When you hold up the note in the light on the left hand side in the empty white space you should see a clear picture of Chairman Mao’s face. On the fake notes the picture of Chairman Mao will not be
very clear and somewhat blurred.
The 100 in the top right hand corner: On the top right hand corner of the note, there is a 100 and just below that there is a kind of oval pattern. If you hold the note sideways and place it in a position where the light shines on it, you will see a 100 appear in the oval. If there is no 100, or it is really hard to see, then your note is a fake.
The picture of Chairman Mao: If you rub your finger gently against the collar of the portrait of Chairman Mao you should be able to detect a slight difference in the feeling and texture. You will probably only notice the difference if you rub lightly, so be careful you don’t damage or rip your money. If the paper is smooth and there is no difference in texture, then the note is a fake.
Colour Change: In the bottom left hand corner there is a 100 sign. When you hold the note normally the colour is green. However, when you tilt the note upwards the colour of this will change to a sort of blue colour. If your note does this, then it is real but if there is no real change in colour then I am afraid you have a fake bill.
Photos of Current Chinese Bank Notes
Below is the fifth series of banknotes, commissioned in 1999, with the head of Mao Zedong on the front, and fourth series jiao notes. The 2 jiao note is now seldom seen.
100 Yuan (Reverse Image: The Great Hall of the People, Beijing)
50 Yuan (Reverse Image: The Potala Palace, Lhasa)
20 Yuan (Reverse Image: The Li River, Guilin)
10 Yuan (Reverse Image: The Yangtze Three Gorges, Central China)
5 Yuan (Reverse Image: Mount Tai, Shandong Province)
1 Yuan (Reverse Image: “Three Ponds Reflecting the Moon”, West Lake, Hangzhou)
5 Jiao and 1 Jiao (Front: Emblem of the PRC, Reverse Images: Chinese Minority Faces)
Photos of Current Chinese Coins
1 Yuan (Reverse Image: Chrysanthemum)
5 Jiao (Reverse Image: Lotus)
1 Jiao (Reverse Image: Orchid)
