Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
ROC
Canton Martyrs Memorial Commemorative Coin
20 Cent
民國
黃花崗紀念幣
貳角
Item number: A1635
Year: AD 1928
Material: Silver
Size: 22.8 x 22.8 x 1.2 mm
Weight: 5.4 g
Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014
This is a commemorative silver coin issued in the 17th year of the Republic of China (AD 1928) by Fujian Province, featuring the Huanghuagang Seventy-Two Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Guangzhou as its central theme. The series was minted in two denominations: 10 cents and 20 cents, with this specimen being the two-jiao variant. Fujian Province issued commemorative coins featuring the Huanghuagang Mausoleum in AD 1928, 1931, and 1932.
The obverse of the coin features a frontal depiction of the Huanghuagang Martyrs’ Mausoleum, clearly showcasing the commemorative arch inscribed with the characters “Seventy-Two Martyrs” (七十二烈士). At the top, there is a Statue of Liberty, symbolising republican ideals, which was donated by overseas Chinese in the United States. In AD 1936, this statue was replaced with the emblem of the Kuomintang, only to be restored after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. However, it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The current Statue of Liberty at the mausoleum is a replica commissioned by the Guangzhou municipal government after the end of the Cultural Revolution. The upper edge of the coin bears the Chinese inscription “Huanghuagang Commemorative Coin” (黃花崗紀念幣).
The reverse of the coin features a beaded circular border, with the central design displaying a sun emblem, which serves as the insignia of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). Within the emblem, the denomination “20” is inscribed in Arabic numerals. On the lower portion of the outer ring, two four-petalled floral ornaments symmetrically divide the design. The upper edge bears the inscription “Minted by Fujian Province in the 17th Year of the Republic of China” (中華民國十七年福建省造), while the lower edge states the denomination equivalency: “Five pieces equal one yuan” (每五枚當一圓).
The Huanghuagang Seventy-Two Martyrs’ Mausoleum commemorates the failed uprising led by Huang Xing on April 27, AD 1911, in Guangzhou, which was organised by members of the Tongmenghui to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Many participants in this uprising were young revolutionaries from Southeast Asia, as well as Guangdong and Fujian provinces, with Fujianese martyrs accounting for twenty individuals. Among them, Lin Juemin, renowned for his farewell letter to his wife, is the most well-known.
After the establishment of the Republic of China, the Guangzhou municipal government gathered the remains of those buried at the site and successfully identified seventy-two individuals, subsequently constructing the mausoleum in their honour. In AD 1943, the Nationalist government further institutionalised the commemoration of the Huanghuagang martyrs by designating March 29 as Youth Day.