1990 was the Chinese Zodiac year of Horse. Its commemorative coin of Horse was officially released in January of 1990.
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 the ancient China’s classic palatial building – Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple in Qufu of Shandong Province. Confucius Temple is a worship place for people over generations. Dacheng Hall is the main hall of the Confucius Temple in Qufu. It was called “Wenxuanwangdian” in Tang Dynasty. To commemorate Confucius’ deeds, it was renamed as Dacheng Hall in Song Dynasty, which means master with great achievement. It was expanded and reconstructed repeatedly over a period of more than 2,000 years, especially in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Hall is 54 meters long across from east to west, 32 meters deep from north to south and 31.89 meters high. It occupies an area of 1,836 square meters with a stone base. Ten columns in the front of the Hall carved with Panlong (the dragon in Chinese mythology) with rolling waves and floating clouds as background. An Altar in the front of the Hall is surrounded by carved fence. In the middle of the Hall there sits a Confucius statue for people to worship Confucius. In addition, Confucian temples also honoured the “Four Correlates” (四配), the “Twelve Philosophers” (十二哲), and other disciples and Confucian scholars through history. The Hall wins its fame for its precise design and grandness construction. Its scale is only next to Taihe Hall of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is one of the three largest ancient halls in China.
On the reverse, the Galloping Horse was a replic of the well-known Chinese painter Mr. Xu Beihong’s work. The Galloping Horse demonstrated Xu Beihong’s dynamic ink and brush techniques. With manes flying, powerful necks and legs straining, the Galloping Horse comes alive in front of your eyes. It represented the painter’s spirit in seeking for freedom. Transfering it onto the coin, stepping over the waving grass, the graceful Horse immediately catches audience eyes, as if it were running from Heaven.
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