Thursday, 19 January 2023

2652) "Kui Mao", or "Year of the Rabbit", People's Republic of China - Taipei (Taiwan): The Central Bank of the Republic of China - Taiwan has issued NT $10 (New Taiwan Dollar - Cupro-nickel) and NT $100 (New Taiwan Dollar - Silver) Coins commemorating the New Year: Date/Year of Coins issue: 2023:

2652) "Kui Mao", or "Year of the Rabbit", People's Republic of China - Taipei (Taiwan): The Central Bank of the Republic of China - Taiwan has issued NT $10 (New Taiwan Dollar - Cupro-nickel) and NT $100 (New Taiwan Dollar - Silver) Coins commemorating the New Year: Date/Year of Coins issue: 2023:

Links to some more posts on the Chinese Lunar calendar/Zodiac signs on this Blog:






The Chinese Calendar series presents a new animal every year. The year 2023 is dedicated to the rabbit.

2023 is the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese Lunar Calendar/Zodiac Cycle.

The Central Bank of the Republic of China — Taiwan have released their 2023-dated silver Proof collector coins in celebration of the Year of the Rabbit, part of the Lunar zodiac cycle, which renews itself every 12 years. 

Highlighted for the New Year, which begins on the 22nd of January, is the sign of "Kui Mao" or the "Year of the Rabbit".

The latest coins are released as the seventh set and in the Central Bank of Taipei (Taiwan's) third series overall.

The Header/Banner showcases the Obverses and Reverses of the $10 NT Cupro-nickel and $100 Silver Coins

How does the Lunar Calendar or Chinese Zodiac Cycle work?

I consulted some of the books which have been kept in my personal library and got acquainted with some interesting facts about the Chinese Zodiac/Lunar Calendar:

The exact origins of the 12 animal signs is rather lost in the obscurity of time, but there is no doubt that they originated in China. In terms of the Chinese astrological "history", the 12 animals are of a rather recent introduction - for it seems that in the 2nd Century BC, Ssu Ma Chi'en (163-85 BC), who was the grand astrologer to Emperor Wu Ti, wrote the Shi Chi or "historical record" up to that time. In this book, there is no "Zodiac" or mention of the 12 animals.

Originally, the 12-year cycle that it takes the planet Jupiter to complete one orbit of the Sun was believed to have defined the earlier calendars. The Chinese still call this cycle "The Great Year" and each month corresponds to one of our own years.

By the 10th Century AD, however, after Buddhism had been established in China, Calendar Almanacs, such as those written by Tibetan monks in exile in the "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas" monastery in the remote reaches of North-western China, depicting the 12 animals, came into existence.

The legend of the Conference of animals called by the Buddha and naming of the 12-year cycle after 12 animals for the Chinese Lunar Calendar:

According to a legend, it was the Buddha (583-463 BC), who created the 12-animal cycle. 

He is believed to have invited all the animals in the land to hold a conference together. The Buddha was not surprised, as in his wisdom, he knew that some of the animals were friendly towards others, while others were inimical/enemies.

To encourage attendance, he decided to name the years after the first twelve animals, in order of their arrival.

An invitation from the Buddha was hard to resist, and when they heard the news, all the animals set off at once, each determined to be the first to arrive.

Tiger, because of his energy and speed, at first took the lead. Soon, though, he began to tire and the early lead that he had achieved over his next rival Ox, who may have been slow, but had great stamina, soon dissipated. Ox reached the Buddha ahead of Tiger and prepared to bow down low to receive his honour.

But, what the sturdy Ox did not know was that clever Rat had sneaked a ride on his tail!! 

Just before Ox's nose touched the floor at the Buddha's feet, nimble and swift Rat ran up the Ox's tail, along his back and jumped off his nose, thus winning the race to be the first to bow before the Buddha.

So Rat (or "Tze" or "Xi" is its Chinese name"), became the first animal in the Chinese Lunar Calendar/Zodiac, followed by a rather resentful Ox ("Chou").

Tiger ("Yin"), Rabbit ("Mao"), Dragon ("Chen"), Snake ("Si"), Horse ("Wu"), Goat ("Wei"), Monkey ("Shen"), Rooster ("You"), Dog ("Xu") and Pig ("Hu"), all followed, and in that order, paid homage to the Buddha and were each honoured with a year.

Interestingly, Dragon is the only mythical beast in the Chinese Circle of Zodiacal animals.

According to the Lunar or Chinese Zodiac, each year is assigned to the above-referred animals, in accordance to a 12-year cycle:

The lunar calendar is 12 months long, with each month corresponding roughly to one cycle of the Moon's movement - from a new moon, through to a full Moon and back to a new Moon. 

The lunar calendar is also known as the agricultural calendar as it divides the year into seasons. Agriculture was the principal economy of ancient China. 

Even today, the lunar calendar still has great significance for the Chinese people, who use it to set the luckiest dates for traditional events and activities, such as weddings, funerals, launching new ventures and moving to a new house.

The next year is the "Year of the Rabbit" (2023):

Similar to the astrological zodiac, those born under a certain sign or, in the case of the Lunar zodiac year, there are particular personality traits which are attributed to one sign or year.

According to Chinese astrology, Rabbits are predicted to be gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert as well as quick, skillful, kind, patient, and very responsible, sometimes reluctant to reveal their minds to others and having a tendency to escape reality, but always faithful to those around them. 

Previous years assigned to the Year of the Rabbit include 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and now 2023.

Male Rabbits are characterised by always treating people politely, with a gentle smile that makes people feel that they are credible and sincere. When encountering tough difficulties, they are never discouraged but instead remain persistent in their endeavors to find solutions. This means they eventually achieve enviable success.

Female Rabbits are personified as follows - apart from having a pretty and demure appearance, they have a pure heart.

The Coin:

The Obverse of the NT$10 (New Taiwan Dollar) Cupro-Nickel Coin depicts a colour image of a Chrysanthemum along with the year "2023" and denomination shown in numerals and the Chinese character "10 圓" denoting the New Taiwanese dollar.

The Reverse of the NT$10 (New Taiwan Dollar) Cupro-Nickel Coin depicts the stylised image of a Rabbit along with the year of issue shown as "112", representing the "112th" year of the Republic of China, founded in 1911.

The Obverse of the NT$100 (New Taiwan Dollar) Silver Coin includes an image depicting the Confucius Ceremony, which is held by the Taipei Confucius Temple to promote the Confucian culture.

 To the lower left is the Coins’ denomination shown as "100 圓", along with the year "2023" and an indication of the fineness of silver "Ag999". 

The Reverse of the NT$100 (New Taiwan Dollar) Silver Coin includes the image of two rabbits' side by side, which is selectively gold-plated.

The year of issue, shown as "112", represents the 112th year of the Republic of China, founded in 1911.

The specifications of the two Coin Variants are:

i)The Cupro-nickel Variant:

Country: Republic of China - Taipei (Taiwan); Year of issue: 2023; Coin Theme: "Kui Mao or Year of the Rabbit"; Denomination: $10 NT (New Taiwan Dollar); Metal Composition: Cupro-nickel; Weight: 25.00 grams; Diameter/Size: 38.00 mm; Coin Quality: Proof with applied colour; Minted By: The Central Bank of the Republic of China — Taiwan.

i)The Silver Variant:

Country: Republic of China - Taipei (Taiwan); Year of issue: 2023; Coin Theme: "Kui Mao or Year of the Rabbit"; Denomination: $10 NT (New Taiwan Dollar); Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 31.10 grams or 1.00 Oz; Diameter/Size: 38.00 mm; Coin Quality: Proof with plating; Minted By: The Central Bank of the Republic of China — Taiwan.

Remarks: 

- 90,000 (Sets) are available as a set of two consisting of one silver coin ($100) and one copper-alloy coin ($10) encapsulated and housed in a hardwood frame suitable for display, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA). 










Interesting Links:

People's Republic of China - Taipei (Taiwan) Posts":







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