1986 was the Chinese Zodiac year of Tiger. Its commemorative coin of Tiger was officially issued in January of 1986.
On the obverse of the gold coin, there engraved the People’s Republic of China in characters and the year of circulation. Its architecture design is Taihedian, the main hall of the Forbidden City of Beijing. Forbidden City, also known as Zijin City, is located in the center of Beijing, and was an Imperial Palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties. The construction started in 1406 and finished in 1420, with a history of over five hundred sixty years. It occupies a land of seven hundred twenty thousand square meters and has nearly ten thousand rooms. The enclosure wall of the Forbidden City is 3 meters high, with a turret standing on each of the four corners. 52 meters wide, the moat surrounds the wall strongly fortified the City. The Forbidden City is the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China, with its unique landscapes and layouts. It is an outstanding example of the greatest palatial architecture with wood structure. Sitting in the center of the Forbidden City, Taihedian is one of the three Palace Halls ( Zhonghedian, and Baohedian) in the Forbidden City. Taihedian was reconstructed in 1695 using a 2-meter high Chinese marble as its base. Around the base, there carved a Panlong ( the dragon in Chinese mythology), waves and clouds, which was used only by Emperors as their pathway. Inside the Taihedian, there was an Imperial Seat and screens on the sides, all with exquisite designs. Next to the Imperial Seat, there are six golden columns, each is about 12.7 meters high with 2 meters in diameter. It was the place where the main ceremonies were held by the Emperor in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Decorated with red wall and glazing yellow tiles, Taihedian is the largest ancient palatial edifice in China.
On the reverse, the picture of the Tiger was originated from Ms. He Xiangning’s (1879 – 1972) painting. Ms. He, born in Guangdong, China, was a skilled painter. Her earlier works were influenced by Japanese arts. Later, she adopted southern Chinese style. In the 1930s, she gradually developed her own style. Her Tiger picture vividly illustrated the aggressiveness of the Tiger walking down the hill. On the commemorative coin, embossed mountain and the muscle of the Tiger were carved so real that it seemed as if a true tiger came to life, with roaring around your ears. The design of the coin testifies its priceless artistic value.
Related posts:
