Ancient money displayed at Deshengmen tower

Beijing's ancient Deshengmen Archery Tower is a good place for a bird's-eye view of the city. In addition, Chinese and foreign visitors can find the tower's exhibition of ancient currency pretty interesting.

The ongoing exhibition, A Glimpse of Glory: 800 Years' Bank Notes in Beijing, was launched by the Beijing Numismatic Society at Beijing Ancient Numismatic Exhibition Hall in the tower on Dec 26.

More than 500 pieces of coins and notes dating back as far as the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), when Beijing's position as the national capital began to consolidate, are displayed here. Some ancient retail coupons, symbols of past banks and currency commemorating major events after the founding of New China in 1949 are also among the exhibits.