Scenery of RMB Banknotes I: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Hangzhou

Have you visited China? If you want to travel in China, you should exchange your currency into RMB, the official currency of People's Republic of China. Do you notice what on the RMB banknotes is? We will show the patterns printed on the banknotes one after another.

Chapter One

RMB 1 Note: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Hangzhou

Nowadays, the fifth series of RMB is the dominated currency used in mainland China, of which the fronts of 100 Yuan, 50 Yuan, 20 Yuan, 10 Yuan, 5 Yuan and 1 Yuan are printed with a same head portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong. On the back of these notes, different famous scenery in China air printed. 

The obverse side and back of 1 Yuan

Attraction: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
Openning Hours: 8:00 - 17:00 
Best Time to Visit: Spring and Autumn

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, one of the “10 Scenic Spots in West Lake”, shown on the 1 RMB note, is located in the south central portion of Hangzhou’s West Lake. The name also refers to Xiaoying Island, one of the three islands in West Lake, along with Mid-Lake Pavilion (Hu Xin Ting) and Ruan Gong Islet (Ruan Gong Dun).

Three stone towers were built in the Daonan Lake, and according to the legend, they are built when Su Tung Po was in charge of dredging the West Lake (The present stone towers are those rebuilt in Ming Dynasty).

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

What’s interesting is that the belly of tower is hollow, and five isometric round holes are 
arranged in order on the spherical body. When it is a night with bright moon, plaster a piece of thin paper on the hole opening and light the lighting in the tower, the hole shape will reflect on the lake and a lot of moons will be presented on the lake. Indeed, it is hard to tell which is real moon and which is false one, the formed night scene is fairly fascinating, so the name “Three Pools Mirroring the Moon” is obtained.