How to spot a fake banknote
Check your Chinese money - if you happen to have any down the back of your sofa. Reports here say that there's an epidemic of fake Chinese banknotes in circulation.
In particular, forgers are said to have gone after the highest value note - the 100 RMB ($14.62) note. It's worth knowing that all Chinese bank notes from 1 RMB upwards feature the same portrait of Chairman Mao. I'm not sure whether or not this makes the notes easier to forge.
So, how do you spot a fake note in China? If you've got enough (real) money, you can buy a note-checking machine. If you don't, you've got to follow a four-point checklist: look, touch, listen, test. (The "listen" refers to the sound a real banknote should make when you crinkle it. Fake notes, of course, don't crinkle.)
And what happens if you've gone through the checklist, but have still been left with a dud note? Tough luck, appears to be the answer. You're meant to hand it into the bank, but you won't get a real one in exchange.
For some people in China, it's all pretty exasperating. "Now everything is fake, including what we eat, drink and wear. It is terrible," posts one internet user.
I’m 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~47~RS~)
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Do we get to exchange for 'real' cash in the UK? We don't get compensated for 50s do we? That's why no one takes them.
If anyone has the chance watch the movie "Die Fälscher", it's a good one about counterfeiting during WWII.
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Oh that is too bad for chinese people. I wonder who is the criminal in charge for this event. Poor chinese authority need to sort this out too.
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Mista Reynolds, can you investigate who forge these fake 100 yuan notes? it may becomes useful for the chinese authority. peace up
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"It's worth knowing that all Chinese bank notes from 1 RMB upwards feature the same portrait of Chairman Mao."
Wrong again, James. The new issue of notes does feature the late Chairman, but the older notes, which are still in circulation, don't. The newest note, the Olympic ¥10 note, had no picture of Mao.
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Following James' blog sometimes gives me the impression how far away James is from the everyday life of the ordinary Chinese people. Is it because James is too busy looking for all the evidence that he can get to prove his assumptions that human rights are rarely observed in China, that the Chinese government is an evil government and that the Chinese people are living in a terrible terrible state?
Well, back to the fake notes that have just caught James' attention. Day in day out, all my friends, colleagues, and all the strangers that I come across doing their shopping in supermarkets, are still using the 100 yuan note, and none of us has yet (touch wood) had the excitement of coming across a fake one.
To topbear1974: Thanks for your concern. Well, we are fine.
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traceylan: Why is this blog entry far removed from the reality of daily life for Chinese people? I spoke to a Chinese relative recently who'd unfortunately received fake money in payment for goods. I would think this topic is highly relevant given that most transactions are still made in cash in China?
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James is trying to tell people one thing, every thing is fake in China.
Who is responsible? Ofcourse the Chinese government is responsible. The government is responsible for the fake milk and poor quality or toxic goods (even if it is made by western manufacturer, Chinese government is still guilty because it is made in China.). The Chinese government is also responsible for any riot, any imprisonment or any sentences they handed down, and guilty of causing any unhappiness from their 1.3 billion people. The Chinese government is communist government guilty of all crimes. This time even the notes are fake. This has never happened before to democratic countries. What a scandle! Who is responsible? Ofcourse it is the Chinese government's fault. They must have faked their own currency! Why do they do that? Because they are communists.
The communist government is guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty......
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People have to start to understand that us Brits are fed negative news everyday. It's now engrained in our culture. It partially explains why we are miserable and pessimistic about so many things. Read "Watching the English" to further understand us!
Disclaimer: I'm not saying that 'English' encompasses all of us Brits.
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fake money, real trend.
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Come on, Fake money everywhere, not only in China.
Whom should be blamed? Greedy capitalists!!!
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I've been following this RMB100 fake banknote stories on mainland China and Hongkong news media. None has called it an "epidemic". According to Hongkong media, the culprit was Taiwanese and not mainland Chinese.
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Full agreement here with several commentators -- Yet another negative, off-cuff bit from James. It does seem all Brits and Americans are fed negative news, esp. about others/China, day in and day out.
It would appear that counterfeit bills are a uniquely Chinese problem, as is the additional problems of additives/chemicals in food, shoddy goods, etc. Step outside the boundaries of China, and such issues do not exist. There's a reality check for you!
What uniquely Chinese problem will James spot next with his time in China? Beggar on street asks for change? Traffic in city at stand-still during rush hour? Petty theft of bicycle at night forces student to walk to University? Wow, isn't China horrible place?
Take my advice James, try (REALLY HARD) to do a positive piece about the New Year celebrations.
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#7 Totally agree with you.
Because it is communist party, it is guilty of everything. I understand that when bad things happen, it is reasonable for people to blame the government. But what James is saying here is not the case.
The english bank notes have got your queen on them. Does it make the english bank notes easy to forge? Eh….I am not sure either...
I do hope one day soon Mao's portrait can be taken out from our bank notes.
James, are you hoping the same to happen to your queen's portrait?
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"Come on, Fake money everywhere?"
Yes, that's right but this is a blog about China. If James was writing a blog about international money markets, then this would be relevant.
We basically have a guy in China writing about his experiences through his eyes. If he was a Chinese blogger writing about the UK, I'm sure he'd be writing about knife crime and lazy benefit claimants. Please stop being so sensitive and understand that his views are just that.
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KrSund70: Did you stop to think that in America and the UK both our news is negative all the time for Domestic stories also, it's not just stories about china or any other place in the world.
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It'd be nice to have your views on your experiences with different foods - the good and bad. Have you had food poisoning yet? Visited a Western/Chinese hospital?
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Noliving I think you are right. That western media tend to emphasis on the nagativity, even with domestic stories.
This actually makes me think: do we chinese want to live as miserable brits? despite you have all the material of the world, most brits still need a pint to cheer up. The recession was partly sang out by the media. The answer is: maybe not. So now I see the reason chinese government try to bar out western media. We are happy the way we live. We have a balance of our own. So stop lecturing us and leave us alone.
I believe world wants a china different from the rest of the world too, a place you can escape the economic misery, a place that is different which can create some competition to the current balance, a place providing some thinking new. I believe most westerners would not like to see a china which is exactly the same as states.
The world is different. East and west live value and philosophy are different. Better keep it that way.
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Ooh James you're so negative. Please say something nice about China or I get really angry and start crying. Boo hoo!
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Dear Mr. Reynolds:
Your comments about Chinese Currency plus the lies against CCTV are nothing more than lies. It is surreal that Mr. Reynolds wants to find negative aspects about China without taking into account that the USA suffers from human rights violations.
I have handled Chinese Currency and there has been no evidence of being fraudulent, I have seen CCTV and CCTV has better entertainment than the television in America which shows violence, decadence, and immorality.
Long Live The People's Republic of China and down with the lies of the West.
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KrSund70:
Where did James say that counterfeit notes are a uniquely Chinese problem? His blog is written in China so naturally contains articles which are prevelant in China. If a Chinese person was writing a blog about the UK and unemployment was in the news, would I protest by saying that unemployment is an international problem? Of course not.
James can write about the New Year celebrations as he wishes without your bullying tactics.
China has no chance of progressing as long as this victim mentality travels through the generations.
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Noliving:
You're absolutely right -- We love negative stories period, domestic and international.
However, that said, I do think we prefer negative international stories about other terrible countries (such as Iran, China, Venezuela, etc.) to negative domestic stories. Perhaps a slight preference, but a preference.
Makes us feel better about our smug selves.
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Topbear1974: I agree with your assessment of the Western media, and finally things are starting to make sense for the Chinese viewers here. I too hope that China can provide an alternative model to the Western world in which spirituality takes precedence over materialism - one in which the West could one day copy China where GDP is measured by happiness.
The only obstacle being that all I tend to hear from many young Chinese (in their 20's) these days is a desire to drive a German car, buy the latest mobile phone and carry Louis Vuitton bags. It doesn't look good.
P.S I don't think anyone was lecturing you.
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Epidemic of the circulation of fake bank-notes is a known phenomenon all over the world. So no special surprise when one sees it happening in China.
By quoting SOMEBODY, the reporter in question is making an attempt to show his readers that there is nothing, but fake things in China. He is misleading his readers. "Everything is" not "fake" in China. Chinese people are not fake.They are real human beings, so are their products they export to the West, including the UK.
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I lived in China for 8 years until recently.
There are a lot of fake 50 & 100 RMB notes about in China.
Sometimes you even get them out of Chinese ATMs (which every Chinese person knows). Chinese banks sometimes put notes into the machines without screening them.
Poor James, he can't even write about fake Chinese notes without some ultra sensitive Chinese nationalists taking offense.
Every Chinese person knows there are a lot of fake notes about so it is disingenuous of some Chinese posters to pretend otherwise.
It’s a ‘face’ thing of course.
Chinese ‘face’ tends to be quite self centred with it sometimes manifesting itself, as on this blog, as an aggressive demand that you accept that black is white because for you to do otherwise damages their own perceived self esteem.
The Chinese person knows that black isn't white, and knows that you know they know it as well.
Its a form of bullying really.
.
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one reckons this note is fake:
http://bit.ly/c2tu [Broken link removed by Moderator]
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Just love how some posters think they have the power to influence people's minds here (expecially James') with their comments; as if they have some veto or something..
On the global scale, the BBC has more reporters, resources and coverage than any mainland Chinese broadcasting corporation has yet ever have. And yet people accuse it of bias? I'm sure with that many people some global netizens would surely be complaining if there was bias. Funny they mostly originate from China.
Oh and did I mention global reputation?
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I am an Australian living in China. I always found it quite amusing watching everyone here scrutinize Chinese Yuan Notes. That was until I got stung. It happens and when it does it's not very nice where ever and when ever it happens.
Poor old James. He's a foreigner writing about China, so he will always see it through his own perspective. It doesn't matter where you come from, you will always view another culture through your own cultural glasses. Of course there is some bias. However, just because he writes about negative stuff doesn't mean it's wrong, it's just his opinion about what's going on in China right now.
Give the poor boy a break, he's doing the best that a 'gui lao' can do given the circumstances.
My only advice to James is that maybe he could find something more interesting to write about since fake 100 Renminbi notes isn't exactly new or interesting.
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I think some people need to be more open-minded and tolerant with James. I don't think his article is negative. I guess why he writes about fake banknote is just because it's the issue he is interested in. He is a china blogger, he needs to write and he has the right to write about whatever he deems worth mentioning. we can't keep criticizing him all the time while we enjoy his dilligence. It's unfair.
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James, you have an impossible job (but I love reading your posts) - if you say anything apart from "I love China" you get a torrent of abuse.
CCTV only reports pro-party stories that are frankly unbelievable. I guess this is what the locals have grown up with, so your different take on the news is unfamiliar.
Keep up the good work, mate. It's a refreshing whiff of honesty!
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wow! fake notes everywhere! I just saw a news about fake euro on sky.
http://bit.ly/38zb6G
[Broken link removed by Moderator]
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calm down people. I think the whole article is fine except the last sentence. However, everybody with eyes can see it is just meaningless moan. A bet when they say every is fake they still enjoy their real meal and talking to real people.
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Another thing abt the silly comments we see here are most likely posted by the internet critics hired by the Chinese ministry of propaganda (yes, thats the department's official english name) and local police authorities, working under the fund provided by a scheme named Gold Shield, aimed to bring a harmonious internet environment to domestic internet users and restore the glorious image of the communist party internationally by injecting boards like this with hordes of pro-communist commentators. These people are highly trained according to the communist principles and have received accolades publicly for their achievements in "building a harmonious society". (thus the profession is recognised officially and its existence cant be denied)
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What seems to be "bullying," sirs, is the permission to allow others to take glancing swipes at "ultra-senstive" Chinese, without allowing a fair opportunity to rationally respond in a manner which in no way seems to break any "house rules." (See my deleted posts at 23-24.)
The issue is that there are fake notes EVERYWHERE and yet the article gives the distinct implication that it's a Chinese-centric problem. Yes, I realize this is a Chinese blog, but as 31 notes, James views China, as he only can I suppose, via his British lense/bias. Perhaps he is doing the best he can, but I assert that, clearly, he's not doing a good enough job of balancing his stories. The ratio of positive stories to negatives is so uneven, that one can only assume that it's a conscious decision, on his part, to promote more of the latter, than the former. It is this unbalance against which I comment.
Thus, allow me James, to attempt to "bully" you into writing a positive story about the Chinese New Year, because, you know how us Chinese love (1) Chinese New Year, and (2) to bully Westerners.
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I assure you, palladiomc, that I am not on the CCP's payroll. :-)
That said, just as biparty politics is inherently partisan, I would assert that although it is important to be fair to James, it is also important to be critical, just as he feels that it is important to be critical of China. We both have our rights to be so critical.
I am the Republican to his Democrat, so to speak, or vice-versa.
Obviously, we both care about China. Thus, in light of the fact that even Republicans and Democrats can share a firework or two on the 4th of July, let me again attempt to "bully" James into writing a neutrally positive story about the upcoming Chinese New Year.
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Number 39. I've often suspected this too. You'll note that these participants usually give themselves Western names to avoid any detection. These guys are probably some of the best English speakers in mainland China and paid well for their skills.
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KrSund70: Where did James give the impression that forgery is a Chinese-centric problem? Please explain.
I would say that using language such as 'REALLY HARD' (the capitalization implying shouting) is a bullying technique towards James despite your sacrastic attempts to exonerate yourself.
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Number 39 and 42.
I don't know about other pro-china commentators. I, myself, have worked and lived in the west for 8 years. That is where I got trained on my English. and I work for a giant international company not for any branches of the Chinese government. I bet a lot of those commentators you regarded as "internet-critics" trained by Chinese government are ordinary Chinese living overseas.
It is fine for you to dismiss any opinions that you don't like as Chinese government propaganda. I know this will make you feel better, regardless of reality. One interest thing, to point out, is that Chinese people who never lived oversea, couldn’t care less about what international journals or bloggers like James talk about China. It is those Chinese who had lived or are living overseas that read and comment on this blog or any English forums. I developed the habit of reading BBC when I was in London.
About whether the West media is fair to China or not, it is crystal clear, when we compare these two cases:
1) A Chinese ship with some small arms, hand guns, to Zimbabwe was the headline on all international media. The ship was followed by a BBC helicopter, broadcasting live, and could not unload the shipment and load fuel.
2) A Ukraine ship with loads of Soviet tanks to southern Sudan was placed in the Somali pirate news. You just have to have enough interest in Somali pirates to find out, Ok, one western ally is supplying big arms to this conflict zone... Who cares about those in the Darfur conflict? And everybody continues bashing China on the Darfur issue…Fair…
Raymond’s blog is full of mistakes; as a journalist, he needs to check his facts/details, otherwise his credibility/ability is questioned. For example, not all Chinese paper notes large than 1 Yuan have Mao’s portrait. The 100 note with his portrait was issued somewhere in the late 90s, or somewhere at that time. The old paper notes all have ordinary Chinese people, different ethnic groups on the front. People still use and see them. The problem is because of inflation, you see more and more 100 Yuan notes circulating.
I guess Raymond’s objective is to make people in the West feel better about themselves not to bridge two groups of people with different culture, history and political systems. If he does that, or says something good about China, I bet his Expat deal is jeopardized.
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davidwhite44:
The overall tone of the post gives that impression. I, for example, would have thought it tactful and diplomatic to include a caveat about the frequency of forged $20 bills as being analogous to the forgery of 100RMB bills. For example, when I was in S. America, government banks in Peru would refuse to take US bills for exchange that started with a certain letter, because of known forgeries.
All caps is for emphasis. I could have used italics and/or underline, but I decided to use all caps because of the ease of the caps lock button. You read too much into things which do not exist. There is nothing bullying about adding EMPHASIS to a portion of one's sentence.
I am sure James will let me know when/if he feels bullied by me. He's a grown man after all and able to take care of himself. And dear moderator, please be fair and note that there is nothing untoward in this post.
I conclude by noting that I am definitely looking forward to the New Year, given the eventfulness of the year in review in China. The CCTV gala will be one of the best ever.
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In further comment:
First, people do the so-called "look, touch, listen, test" everywhere, and esp. to US bills. Often in the US, cashiers will swipe a bill with a yellow high-lighter or look up to the light for a water-mark. It is standard procedure to do this for high-value bills everywhere ... not simply because there is an alleged "epidemic" of fake 100RMB bills in China.
Next, no bank will give you a real bill for a fake one in exchange, they wouldn't take the loss, in China or outside of China. It is incorrect to imply that this "touch luck unfairness" is only because things are "unfair" in China alone.
In addition, many nations have bills with one national leader prominent on all denominations. It is not because, as implied, that the Chinese still seem to have an undue "God-worship" of Mao.
Finally, the final quote is wholly unnecessary and promotes an undue image of Chinese being dissatisfied with China, a message that Western liberals would surely love to hear more of. The truth is, despite all China's problems, life in China is better for all than it has been in many generations. All Chinese have reason to applaud that. The last quote, from an unattributable source, is classic biased and selective journalism. Frankly, better "fake" things to eat/drink/wear, than nothing at all.
In sum, the overall tone and implication of the article is that these are "Chinese-centric" problems. That, to me, is an undue characterization.
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Chinese fake bank notes is always a problem but you have this problem in west too. I think James is just experiencing China through his eyes which is quite funny sometimes.
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I find it rather amusing that many people hit out at James every time he says something negative about China. Then they justify themselves by saying, but US/UK/EU does it too!!
The fact is most problems in any country happen in almost any other country, just to different extents. Does that mean we should never say anything negative? Never point out something that needs fixing? The stupidity of the matter. If things that are wrong are not pointed out, they will be less likely to get fixed.
I don't see why so many Chinese have shame when something bad is pointed out. Why don't they just try helping to fix instead of moaning about the person that pointed out a problem?
Anyway this is a blog about CHINA. It is not about the US or the UK or any other country. It is about China. James isn't even comparing it, he is simply stating facts, which are then misconstrued as insults for no reason other than "hurt Chinese people's feelings".
I've never seen James moan, or weep, or get hurt feelings because of what hundreds of comments on this site are saying about him.
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Why is China always the last in the world to get anything right?
We have fake money here in Canada and in the west for 100s of years and now China is getting it. What a slow backwards country.
Can't they do anything first, like creating fake paper?
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James:
That are all good ways to know, how to spot a fake bank-note....
~Dennis Junior~
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There are Tibetan separatists who are constantly vilifying the Chinese government no matter what the talking topic is. That is understandable and perfectly fine.
But some who use names look like Chinese to criticize the author of this blog to provoke foreigners' hatred of Chinese people. That is some trick to be aware of.
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James, I have a question for you: Will you be offerred with a real banknote if you hand a fake one? Of course not, I think UK bank won't be so silly. Maybe, there's little fake banknote and I think China has to learn a lot from it.
That there are forgers is just like there are murderers in UK or any other places. No wonder. According to the latest news, some forgers have already been punished.
To 39# & 42#
I'm a Chinese. I use English name just for convenience, properness in a English website and I think Chinese may not be correctly shown in this website. Acctually we use English name or alphabetic name in Chinese website. I comment a lot here, although I've never been paid and sometimes been blocked. I admit China and Chinese is not all that good but never be as bad as you imagine.
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Thanks post 40 for speaking my mind.
I also can not get my opinion accross with the house rule, which I can recite by heart now and I know I did not break any.
To Selin and palladiomic. I think it is utterly unfair to brand all the different opinion as paid by CCP. I can assure you I am not one of them either. I don't think they can afford me. I have been paying 40% tax in almost 10 years and subsidise the benefit of this country with my hard working. I would be grateful if you can respect this is just common people's opinion to James view. Thank you.
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Those who do not agree with or object to certain things critical of China are not necessarily pro-CCP. I recall while in China conversations such as this, and when I ask if they are very pro-government (or words to this effect), the response is "absolutely not".
Some who haven't been to China may not be aware of these subtleties, of which some are historically deep-rooted, influenced by the more recent past, or the result of the education system and lack of diversity of views in the media until fairly recently.
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to 46: u said u have been away from China for 8 years, do u still ur understanding of China bears any significance to how things are today? China's changing rapidly with new problems emerging on a daily basis. For a person away from his homeland for so long, i doubt if he knows as much about the most recently upcomings as someone who is stationed in China to witness these event, like James.
and btw who is Raymond?
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to 60: theres nothing wrong with having ur country's weaknesses exposed. Nearly every country is criticized by some media/newsagent today. The more powerful the country is the more attention it draws. So i think chinese should feel proud that their homeland captures so much attention now than before. Do you want your home to be treated as sth too trivial to even talk abt?
Having foreign critics watching over u can help improving ur country. So u shouldnt feel embarassed to have China criticised. (do americans feel embarassed when the US gets shouted at, most of them are instead pleased that they are the centre of the universe and the last US election was treated as if they were electing the president of earth) What is shameful is to remain so close-minded and stingy as tories and raise hatred feelings towards ur critics instead of solving the problem pointed out. So I think all chinese who truly love their homeland should endorse what James is doing here.
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52 and others of similar thought:
The dismissal of Chinese as unduly ultra-sensitive is an unfair Western characterization.
What you don't realize is that the issue is deeply rooted in cultural differences. Interaction, in China, amongst Chinese, is much more nuianced, complicated, and filled with certain protocol and established practices. You may think it overly complicated and filled with ideas of "face," and I would agree with you that when "face" becomes everything, it is possible to be a negative thing.
However, Chinese communication is much more based on the speaker thinking first and foremost about the impact of the communication on the listener, not a self-centered view of solely, "X is what I want to express."
You may wish to characterize that as being too sensitive (when others don't think about the impact of their words on their listeners), or manipulative (being considerate of how others receive your message doesn't equate to trying to manipulate the listener), but frankly that is just your Westerner biased and negative characterization of practices in Chinese culture which have existed for thousands of years.
It's time to wake up and learn about how others do things, instead of just observing and automatically assuming it to be wrong, incorrect, thin-skinned, or manipulative.
James isn't sufficiently aware of impact of his communications on the Western-Chinese audience. If he was, he'd take more care to make his stories more even-keeled and balanced.
Dear moderator, again, to me this post is more academic and no where near inflammatory. Please display, thank you.
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KrSund70:
“I, for example, would have thought it tactful and diplomatic to include a caveat about the frequency of forged $20 bills as being analogous to the forgery of 100RMB bills.”
I would have thought an analogy with $20 notes would be off-topic, irrelevant and, quite frankly, absurd given this was a blog entry of 20 lines.
“I could have used italics and/or underline, but I decided to use all caps because of the ease of the caps lock button.”
Then to avoid further ambiguity, may I suggest stretching yourself and substituting capitalization - which is ordinarily associated with raising one’s voice - with an alternative form of linguistic expression.
“I conclude by noting that I am definitely looking forward to the New Year, given the eventfulness of the year in review in China. The CCTV gala will be one of the best ever.”
Let’s hope so, but again, the author is free to choose his subjects for himself.
“First, people do the so-called "look, touch, listen, test" everywhere, and esp. to US bills.”
Correct but James did not affirm that this action is exclusively reserved to the Chinese. He discussed how to spot a fake note in China, and since he is in China and dealing with Chinese notes, this is entirely relevant subject matter.
“Next, no bank will give you a real bill for a fake one in exchange, they wouldn't take the loss, in China or outside of China. It is incorrect to imply that this "touch luck unfairness" is only because things are "unfair" in China alone.”
Correct also - but are you are saying there should an extra sentence which reads “tough luck here and tough luck if I were living in a number of other countries and trying to hand in a fake note?” Again absurd.
“In addition, many nations have bills with one national leader prominent on all denominations. It is not because, as implied, that the Chinese still seem to have an undue "God-worship" of Mao.
His exact words were “It's worth knowing that all Chinese bank notes from 1 RMB upwards feature the same portrait of Chairman Mao”. This is merely the assertion of a fact and at no point is your perceived ‘God-worship’ mentioned.
“Finally, the final quote is wholly unnecessary and promotes an undue image of Chinese being dissatisfied with China”
No, it merely establishes that ‘one internet user’ is dissatisfied with forgery, not 1.3 billion.
I understand you are doing your best to defend your motherland by vilifying the author in any way you can, but please base any future posts on logic and reason.
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For those who don't check news frequently, the HD90 fake banknotes originated from Taiwan, the gang has been destroyed by Taiwanese police.
Taiwan has recently opened the RMB exchange service due to the improved relationship with the mainland. There was enough motive for the criminals to profit from forging banknotes, as Taiwanese people had never seen RMB before.
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#52. Baganye,
The problem with those type of posts is that of "face". The people who needs a lot of face ("hen yao mien") are those who feel insecure, constantly feel they have something to lose and too afraid to lose them.
They are the type of people who when warned not to approach the cliff would not only not back off but continue to defiantly walk toward it. When they do fall, would make it as hard as possible for rescuers to assist them.
If this mentality prevails in China then the country has a major challenge in its hand before it wins any respect by the outside world.
The final paragraph of Jame's blog is nothing but a feeling by many ordinary Chinese who felt disillusioned with the path the country is heading. Forgery is a cancerous problem in China. There is no justification for it just because forgery is also a problem in other countries. We should all strive to be better without comparing with others!
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Chinese RMB notes securities feature are not as sophisticated as those from UK's
Thomas De La Rue printer house. thus i wonder why it takes so many years only for the fake currency to surface.
Chinese RMB previous notes (which is still in
circulation) does not have Mao as main feature.
I hope the next edition of RMB notes should
include notables like Dr Sun Yat-Sen, Deng
Xiaoping, or even Confucius alas with their
hologram too.
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Anyone who's spent much time in mainland China knows to be on the lookout for fake banknotes. Sure, you get fakes in every country, but I've never had a fake banknote anywhere else, while despite using far more precautions in China I've still had a couple of fake notes. Thus far it's fortunately only been a ten (which most people don't even check) and a fifty (which from what I've heard is probably the most counterfeited note in China, but I think I got it in a bar and failed to check it).
I was watching a local soap opera the other day, and the major plot element for one episode was a counterfeit twenty kuai note. If that doesn't tell you that counterfeit banknotes are a real issue in mainland China then I don't know what does. This is not to mention, of course, that in many respects China is still a cash-based society.
My top tips for checking Chinese money:
- the quick way: scratch Mao with your fingernail (not meant in a disrespectful way!), either on the right hand side of his head against the grain of the hair or on his collar. The printing on fakes is almost always flat, rather than raised as it is on the real banknote. If you aren't sure, crinkle the paper too.
- the slow way: on the Mao side of the banknote, there's a little oval area right under where the number is printed. Look at this area with the banknote held almost perpendicular to your face, and a number (the denomination of the banknote) should swim into view. However, it should be centred in the box and it should not be too easy to see.
- With the exception of the one kuai (and lower) note, banknotes from 2005 on have a magnetic-type strip in them which appears as a dark line on the Mao side and as a dashed holographic line on the other with the denomination written in the hologram. It's usually pretty easy to tell if one of these has been faked. 1999 series banknotes have a (thinner) magnetic strip too, but no hologram, and as an anti-counterfeiting measure I think it's pretty much obsolete.
- I've never had counterfeit banknotes from a cash machine in mainland China (touch wood). On the other hand, check your change, especially in taxis and bars. If you aren't sure whether a banknote they've given you is funny money, hand it back and ask for a different one.
It's a little tiresome at first, but you get used to it. Doesn't mean that China isn't a nice place to live.
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62: I agree completely. I became aware of a phenomenon in China that many would make a certain statement about something in the country they didn't like, but if another person brings it up, they will say they disagree!
China has its problems, but I would say that Face, Ah-Q type behaviour, is probably the worst as it simply multiplies all the other problems.
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Why is it that some people seem to take offence about James Reynolds if he does anything other than sing the praises of the Chinese state?
Look at the BBC UK headlines? Do you see glowing praise of the UK government or optimistic, inspiring pieces about how wonderful Britain is? This is what news is about.
If you want relentless Chinese propaganda with no mention of Taiwan independence or Free Tibet then maybe best to stick to CCTV instead of the BBC?
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What means fake money anyway? Whatever we will by with money will be a fake. The goods that are made are mostly made by sweatshops somewhere. Or they are made in the quaint cottage industry consisting of mud huts or tarpaulins if they're richer. And anything greater (made in the West??) will be made on grounds stolen from the natives. It goes on. Everything is a fake and whoever said "I promise to pay the bearer" is the biggest liar and faker of them all!
Print away!!!
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I think the Chinese government should take more responsiblities in these incidents.
What we learned from the poisoned milk powder matter is that the governemnt laid all the blame on some dairy farmers and the manufacturers while accepting no responsibility at all. Quality monitoring bureau should be the one that monitors the quality of goods, but it failed to do so. Shouldn't the officials step down and apologise to those victms' family?
Regarding to the fake notes problem, the government advised public to check the notes carefully. But even you have followed the ways that governement taught you, you are still likely to get fakes notes. If it happens, who else to blame? The bank will tell you it's your own problem, cause they've already warned you to take extra care to check.
Life is never easy for Chinese people. The governement will warn you not to buy poisoned egg, poisoned rice, poisoned alcohol, fake medicine and so on. Then we realise anything can be fake and it make us live in fear.
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This came a little earlier than I expected: the DRPK could be a very likely source and I'd been anticipating this. I saw their handywork back in Zimbabwe in 1983 with US dollars. It took us a hell of an effort to convince the US that the notes were bogus - they were coming out of a N.Korean army detail by the bucket full and literally being exchanged for a dollar to dollar with the ZImbabwe dollar. Hence our suspicion.
The Chinese slipped up - they never suspected their money would become a target - the locals wouldn't dare try it. But with the greenback weak there's no way the DPRK (my hunch) would not have been tempted. And their counterfeits are the best in the world since they use aonther country's discarded money printing machinery, not color copiers...
Japan should be another target.
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@kelly
Is the government responsible for all the crimes commited by criminals?
The criminals who made fake Chinese notes are already caught in TaiWan. The criminals who tainted milk and the company chief who tried to cover it up are on trial. The local officials who did not take effective measures during the milk scandle have already lost their jobs. Whatelse should Chinese government do?
Then which country has the highest crime rate? Is the government responsible for the high crime rate? China has 6 times of USA's population and 1/6 of its crime. Who lives in fear? Which countries allow re-offended criminals go on parole and give them opportunities to re-reoffend? That is a systemic abuse of community's basic rights.
I suggest you seek other ways (instead of relying on few sources) to find out more about China.
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Why is 100 RMB tanslated into US dollars?
"100 RMB ($14.62)"
Is the BBC American, now?
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