Twenty-six years ago today, on October 1, 1999 (August 22, 1999 in the lunar calendar), the fifth set of RMB was issued. The fifth set of RMB was issued since October 1, 1999. By July 30, 2004, a total of six banknotes of 100 yuan, 50 yuan, 20 yuan, 10 yuan, 5 yuan and 1 yuan, and three kinds of coins of 1 yuan, 5 cents and 10 cents were issued. Compared with the first four sets of RMB, the fifth set of RMB has distinctive characteristics. After expert demonstration, its printing technology has reached the international advanced level; In its design, it embodies the long history and magnificent mountains and rivers of our great motherland through representative patterns; Its main scene portrait, watermark and denomination figure are all enlarged than before, which is convenient for the masses to identify and has received good social effects; It applies advanced science and technology, and is more advanced and mature than the first four sets of RMB in terms of anti-counterfeiting performance and adaptation to the modernization of currency processing. In short, the fifth set of RMB is a set of currencies with high scientific and technological content and distinctive national characteristics. In order to improve the printing process and anti-counterfeiting technology of the fifth set of RMB, with the approval of the State Council, the People's Bank of China has improved and improved the production process and technology of the fifth set of RMB (1999 edition). The fifth set of RMB 100 yuan, 50 yuan, 20 yuan, 10 yuan and 5 yuan banknotes and 10 dime coins in the improved and improved 2005 edition were issued and circulated on August 31, 2005. Further reading: What is the secret behind the "portrait of Chairman Mao" on the hundred-dollar bill? Further reading: What is the secret behind the "portrait of Chairman Mao" on the hundred-dollar bill? On October 1, 1999, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the People's Bank of China successively issued the fifth set of RMB (1999 edition). The front of each denomination of currency uses the head of Chairman Mao Zedong in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The picture shows a group photo of Mao Zedong with some fighting heroes and representatives of model workers across the country in 1950. However, the portrait of Chairman Mao on the banknote hides an unknown secret: he was "dug" out of a group photo. The prototype of this photo is a group photo of Mao Zedong with national fighting heroes and model workers in 1950, which was cut out and enlarged by the staff. The person who "reprocessed" these chairman portraits was Chen Shilin, who was the head of the technical team of Xinhua News Agency's photography department, the head of the renovation team and the head of the photo work of national leaders. In 1949, at the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China, there was no standard photo of Chairman Mao Zedong, and the huge photos held by people were still images of octagonal hats in northern Shaanxi. In January, 1950, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai visited the Soviet Union and participated in many important political and economic activities. When an American newspaper published a report, it published the heads of Stalin and Mao Zedong at the same time. Chairman Mao Zedong wearing an octagonal hat and Stalin wearing a gorgeous marshal's uniform were juxtaposed, which looked very incongruous. At that time, Sa Kong, the deputy director of the Central Information Administration and the director of the Press Photography Bureau, discovered this problem and felt that the standard photo of Chairman Mao as the head of state was too simple and did not match the image of China. He immediately suggested to Hu Qiaomu, then director of the Information Administration, that he hoped to make standard photos for Chairman Mao as soon as possible. This proposal was finally reported to Mao Zedong. After getting approval, the General Information Administration sent several photographers to shoot. Due to the limitations of many objective conditions such as lighting and shooting time, the final photos are not ideal. Therefore, Sa Kong invited Chen Zhengqing, deputy director of the Photography Department of the Photography Bureau, and asked him to find a skilled picture post-production staff, and selected the appropriate picture from the previous photos taken by the chairman to process and make the first standard photo. After repeated selection and comparison, Chen Shilin was selected. He consulted all kinds of photos of Mao Zedong's activities at that time, and after repeated selection, he finally found a positive photo of Mao Zedong with a better image from a large group photo. From the group photo, he "picked" Mao Zedong, and used a medical scalpel or a blade modified from a clockwork to remove the portraits around Mao Zedong, and used transparent watercolor fuel and thinning liquid to correct the image. After careful retouching, remake and production, a positive standard photo with heavy image and amiable image was born, which was used as the early hanging portrait of Tiananmen Gate Tower, and was also published in Selected Works of Mao Zedong in large numbers. In 1997, Bank of China was designing the fifth set of RMB. Liu Wenxi, the founder of the well-known Loess Painting School at home and abroad, held a meeting in Beijing as a representative of the Eighth National People's Congress. At that time, Liu Wenxi's painting of Mao Zedong's head was unparalleled, and the relevant personnel of Bank of China approached him and asked him to paint a new RMB portrait. And it was with Chairman Mao's first standard portrait as the original version that he created a classic that everyone is very familiar with and loves now!