1 YUAN COIN - TAIWAN - MEI BLOSSOM AND ORCHID
(Y 536)
Date: A.D. 1973
Obverse: Mei Blossom - REPUBLIC OF CHINA - YEAR 62
Reverse: Orchid - ONE YUAN
This coin was minted for the island Taiwan, a long disputed island in East Asia claimed by the Peoples Republic of China but governed independently by the Republic of China. Taiwan includes Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Green Island in the Pacific off the Taiwan coast, the Pescadores in the Taiwan Strait, as well as Kinmen and Matsu off the coast of Fujian. The island has a very long history dating back to its earliest inhabitants nearly 30,000 years ago. The island remained relatively untouched by outsiders until the Dutch and Spanish made rather brief attempts at colonization. It has since been occupied by Japan and then China who still claim sovereignty over the island today although it has been ruled by the Government of the Republic of China since 1949. For more about Taiwan, the Republic of China and Chiang Kai-shek go HERE. |