1985 was the Chinese Zodiac year of Ox. Its commemorative coin of Ox was officially issued in January of 1985.
On the obverse of the gold coin, there engraved the People’s Republic of China in characters for the first time on a commemorative coin, and the year of circulation. Its architecture design is the Marble Boat, the amazing ancient China’s architecture on the water in Summer Palace of Beijing, which is located on the Kunming Lake, west side of the Longevity Hill.
First built in 1755, Emperor Qian Long hoped the Marble Boat symbolized the stability of Qing Dynasty: water can not overturn a boat. Originally the Marble Boat had oriental style cabins. In 1860, it was burned by the British and French forces, which only left the main body of the boat unburned. It was then restored in 1893, imitating the French yacht when building the cabins. It also added stone wheels and was named as “Qingyanfang”. The body of Marble Boat was built by laying huge stones, 36 meters long, both cabins of the two stories are made of wood structure, which were painted with marble designs. With vibrant colored windows, stone carved ceiling, the whole Boat has exquisite designs. It is a main viewing place for tourists when visiting Summer Palace.
On the converse, the picture of the Pent-Ox was selected from a master painter of Tang Dynasty Han Huang’s collection. The painting depicted five oxen in different actions: one was on the grassland grazing; one held its head up while galloping; one was calling with feet up; one was licking while looking back; and another one was strolling relaxingly, each with its own vivid motion. The artist’s broad strokes naturally reflected country’s quiet spirit. Applying the carving technique on the coin, the picture exemplified the honest characteristic of Ox.
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