1 Yuan

Part of the fourth series of Renminbi (第四套人民币), launched in 1987 after years of preparation that began in the late 1970s. The series was designed entirely domestically, a deliberate break from the earlier reliance on Soviet technical assistance that had shaped the second series in the 1950s. Production stretched across multiple printing bureaus under the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation.

The 1 Yuan denomination remained in circulation alongside fifth-series notes well into the 2000s, unusually long for a Chinese issue of this generation. Heavily circulated examples frequently show pronounced soiling along the horizontal fold lines — a known characteristic of this denomination given its high daily transaction volume.