In line with tradition, Taiwan’s Central Bank has issued coins featuring the animal sign of the upcoming Lunar New Year.
At a press conference on Thursday, the bank unveiled the coins for this year, which is the Year of the Ox.
To mark the Year of the Ox, which begins on February 12, the Central Bank has issued 100,000 sets of coins featuring the ox.
There are two coins in each set, a silver one, and a gold and copper one. One set costs NT$1,800.
The silver coin is decorated with two oxen on the front. The hard-working animal is a symbol of perseverance in Taiwanese culture. On the back is a scene of a boy performing a lion dance, a popular piece of folklore from agricultural areas of Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan.
The gold and cooper coin features a stylized ox on the front. The image represents a turnaround or a change for the better. On the back is the partially-colored lily, a flower which symbolizes good fortune.
Head of the bank’s Issuance Department, Shih Tsuen-hua, says that in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, these coins, with their auspicious images, will bring good fortune and get rid of the bad.”