SHANGHAI MINT MUSEUM COINECT EXHIBIT

PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE FULL ISSUE PREV FULL ISSUE

V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 20, 2025, Article 22

Helen Wang passed along this press release for an upcoming London exhibit of coins and medals from the Shanghai Mint Museum's collection. Thank you. -Editor

For the first time, highlights from the commemorative coin and medal collection of the Shanghai Mint Museum will be showcased in London at the former Royal Mint. Titled COINect, the exhibition will explore Chinese culture and creativity over the past two centuries through the art of coin design. The temporary exhibition, which is free to visit with a pre-booked ticket, will be open from 8 to 14 June.

The exhibition is part of Our Water, a cultural exchange programme that explores the relationship between water and urban life in Shanghai and other global cities. Following its launch in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, this year's edition turns its focus to the cultural ties between London and Shanghai, highlighting the shared heritage between the former Royal Mint in London and the Shanghai Mint - two historic sites situated along significant waterways: the River Thames in London and Suzhou Creek in Shanghai. Once a vital artery for trade and shipping, the 21-kilometer waterfront of Suzhou Creek threads together Putuo District's historical landmarks and cultural venues, including the M50 Creative Park and the Shanghai Mint.

"We are pleased to present highlights from the Shanghai Mint Museum outside of China for the first time. Rather than focusing on monetary value, the exhibition explores how coins and medals serve as commemorative artifacts and historical records. As physical currency becomes less central to daily life, coins increasingly preserve and reflect collective memory, cultural values, and shared histories.?

Exhibition Highlights
The 105 sets of coins and medals on display, reflecting the 105-year history of the Shanghai Mint, will be arranged across twelve themed cases. Produced after 1949, they focus on different elements of Chinese culture, heritage and history, spanning from ancient times to the modern era. Among them is Sheng Role - Chinese Peking Opera Art, which won the Best Circulating Coin of the 41st Coin of the Year (COTY) Awards in 2024.

The exhibition will open with a series of intricate commemorative medals created between 1998 and 2010, depicting the twelve animals of the Zodiac - the first complete set to represent the entire zodiac cycle. China's cultural treasures will feature in a series of coins depicting the Great Wall of China, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Warriors, the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, and the Forbidden City from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In contrast, another series of coins will recognise Chinese inventions and industry, from the compass, gunpowder and paper to the country's aerospace programme and highspeed trains.

The exhibition will also celebrate China's unique natural heritage. Highlights include coins depicting some of the country's rare and iconic wildlife, such as the giant panda, South China tiger, Baiji dolphin, and Yangtze alligator, as well as representations of five national parks. These coins offer a perspective on China's rich natural landscapes, with designs that are noteworthy for their creativity and artistic value.

Another theme of the exhibition is a display of coins that underscore China's global cultural connections, including commemorative issues for the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, both hosted in Beijing. Also featured are coins that explore cross-cultural dialogue, such as the bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen, whose fairy tales are part of the Chinese primary school curriculum, and Puccini's Turandot, which presents a Western romanticized view of China. Additional coins in the collection pay tribute to influential Western artists, including Picasso and Dalí, and composers such as Mozart and Bach, whose works have shaped or intersected with Chinese cultural life.

Interactive Displays
The exhibition will feature interactive displays that demonstrate various aspects of coin production. For example, a video will showcase the minting process of the Olympic medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, offering valuable context for key technical processes. Elsewhere, a digital wishing pool will allow visitors to virtually toss a coin and make a wish, while other installations invite them to learn Chinese characters from coin designs, and create their own design for next year's zodiac animal - the horse. Additionally, visitors will be able to vote on submissions for the Our Water – UK-China Youth Coin Design Competition and view a curated selection of Half-Marathon Suzhou Creek cultural products, which blend the rich heritage of Suzhou Creek with contemporary design.

Our Water - UK-China Youth Coin Design Competition
Organised by USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry and Brunel Design School, Brunel University of London, the competition invited design students to create coin concepts inspired by the waterways in Shanghai and London. The winning entry will be minted and turned into a commemorative coin, fostering the next generation of medallists and coin designers.

Public Programming
In response to the newly established UN International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations (10 June), the exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of in person events, including a roundtable discussion about the evolution of money and a sustainable future, and an Urban Study roundtable about riverside heritage in the digital age.

While I don't collect modern issues, I'm all for cultural exchanges. Sure, they're by nature driven by multiple motivations including both politics and commercial sales. But also by nature they come about only through mutual agreement, cooperation and a good dose of goodwill by the people involved on the ground. Any cultural exchange is a good thing, and it would be interesting to see the U.S. Mint involved in such exchanges with Mints not only in China but across the world. Is anyone aware of such current or planned events? Meanwhile, if you're in London, check out the exhibition and let us know what you think. -Editor

To reserve tickets, see:
COINect: Chinese Culture and Creativity (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/coinect-chinese-culture-and-creativity-tickets-1364226210319)