Description and research notes
A rare and academically significant textile emergency-issue banknote produced in 1924 by the Dihua Official Coin Bureau during a period of acute monetary instability in Xinjiang. As metropolitan paper money became difficult to secure due to political fragmentation and disrupted transport routes, Dihua authorities turned to coarse red cotton as a practical substitute medium. This 40 wen note represents a formally sanctioned emergency currency designed to sustain local commerce, tax collection, and administrative payments when conventional printing infrastructure could not be relied upon.
Printed using traditional woodblock techniques, the note features a central Chinese inscription identifying the issuing bureau and denomination, surrounded by an ornamental frame with agricultural motifs referencing grain levies and land-tax structures. The winged header device and Uyghur/Chagatai inscription positioned beneath the Chinese text illustrate the multilingual and multiethnic character of Dihua’s early Republican bureaucracy. Cloth served not only as an accessible printing surface but also as a locally recognized store of value in a region shaped by Central Asian commercial traditions.
As an emergency substitute currency, this textile issue exemplifies the improvisation required to maintain a functioning monetary system at the periphery of the Republic. Its durability, resistance to forgery, and compatibility with simple printing tools made it an effective instrument during prolonged periods of paper scarcity. Comparable pieces preserved in institutional collections—most notably the British Museum specimen (registration number 1984,0605.8512)—confirm that these cloth notes were official products of the Dihua minting authority rather than folk or ceremonial creations.
Surviving examples of the 40 wen type are exceptionally scarce. Institutional holdings are minimal, and Western numismatic institutions record none. Genuine examples surface on the private market perhaps once every several years, often overshadowed by later reproductions. Based on known pieces and the absence of large archival remnants, the surviving population is estimated at roughly 10–20 examples, placing the type securely in the R7 rarity tier.
As a historical artifact, this note documents how local authorities in Xinjiang employed traditional materials and regional design vocabularies to sustain economic continuity during a period of fiscal isolation. Its bilingual inscriptions, emergency textile substrate, and carved-woodblock printing make it one of the most distinctive and culturally layered examples of provisional currency from early Republican China.