Second series of the renminbi explained

The second series of Renminbi banknotes was introduced on March 1, 1955. Together with the introduction of the second series, the decimal point was moved 4 places to the left. As a result, one first series ¥10,000 note is equivalent to one second series ¥1 note.

Coins

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Technical parameters		Description			Date of
			Diameter	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	year	issue	withdrawal
		¥0.01	18 mm	Aluminium-magnesium alloy	Intermittent wire teeth	Wheat, value, year of minting	Emblem of the People's Republic of China	1955-2018	December 1, 1957	Current
		¥0.02	21 mm					1956-2000
		¥0.05	24 mm					1955-2000

Though rarely used, coins of the 2nd series are still valid in the PRC, and the PBC also put new coins to the market.

Banknotes

Each note has the words "People's Bank of China" as well as the denomination in the Uyghur, Tibetan and Mongolian (but not Zhuang, as the Zhuang alphabet was not invented yet) languages on the back, which has since appeared in each series of Renminbi notes.

The denominations available were:

2nd Series Banknotes
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main color	Description		Date of			Remark
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	issue	withdrawal	completely recalled
		¥0.01	90 × 42.5 mm	Yellow	ZIS-150 / FAW Jiefang CA10 (built in China under license of ZiS) 4-Tonne Truck	National Emblem of the People's Republic of China	March 1, 1955	July 1, 2003	April 1, 2007	With serial number and printed in China
		¥0.02	95 × 45 mm	Blue	Lisunov Li-2 (built in the Soviet Union under license of the Douglas DC-3)
		¥0.05	100 × 47.5 mm	Green	Steam ship Hailiao, came over to the Communists from Hong Kong under the blockade of the Nationalists.
		¥0.1	115 × 52.5 mm	Yellow-brown	Tractor			December 15, 1967	January 1, 1999	Printed in China
		¥0.2	120 × 55 mm	Green	Locomotive			November 15, 1971
		¥0.5	125 × 57.5 mm	Purple	Dam
		¥1	150 × 67.5 mm	Red	Tiananmen			October 20, 1969
		¥2	155 × 70 mm	Blue	Mount Baota in Yan'an, Shaanxi			December 1976
		¥3	160 × 72.5 mm	Green	Longyuankou Bridge in Yongxin, Jiangxi			April 15, 1964	May 15, 1964	Printed in Soviet Union
		¥5	165 × 75 mm	Brown	Unite of races
		¥10	210 × 85 mm	Blue and black	Labor and farmer		December 1, 1957

2nd Series Banknotes, Yuan (1956 series)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main color	Description		Date of			Remark
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	issue	withdrawal	completely recalled
		¥1	150 × 67.5 mm	Black	Tiananmen	National Emblem of China	March 25, 1961	August 15, 1973	January 1, 1999	Printed in China
		¥5	165 × 75 mm	Yellow-brown	Unite of races		April 20, 1962	December 1, 1983

2nd Series Banknotes (1981 series) ^1
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main color	Description		Date of			Remark
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	issue	withdrawal	completely recalled
		¥0.01	As 1953 notes, without serial number				July 14, 1981	July 1, 2003	April 1, 2007	Without serial number and printed in China
		¥0.02
		¥0.05

Remark

1. The ¥0.01, ¥0.02 and ¥0.05 notes, introduced on July 14, 1981, can also be argued as a member of the third series because it was issued in 1981 (Third edition period).

The ¥3, ¥5 and ¥10 notes of 1953 series were printed in the Soviet Union. As a result of the Sino-Soviet split, the Soviets started printing these banknotes as counterfeits as a part of Economic warfare against China and thus such counterfeit notes were found in Xinjiang after several border conflicts. The use of the 1953 series banknotes was halted on April 15, 1964, to be withdrawn and these banknotes were recalled completely on May 15, 1964. The 1953 series is the only series of Renminbi to include a ¥3 banknote.

Except for the ¥3, ¥5, ¥10, ¥0.01, ¥0.02, and ¥0.05 banknotes of the 1953 series, all banknotes were recalled completely on January 1, 1999. The use of the three ¥0.01, ¥0.02, and ¥0.05 banknotes was halted on July 1, 2003, to be withdrawn and these banknotes were recalled completely on April 1, 2007.