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.