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1983 was the Chinese Zodiac year of Pig. Its commemorative coin of pig was officially issued in January of 1983.

On the obverse of the gold coin, there engraved ¡°Beijing¡± in Chinese characters and the year of circulation. It used Summer Palace, the most intact and the largest scales of its kind Imperial Garden, as its architecture pattern. Summer Palace is located in the northwest suburb of central Beijing and was once an Administrative Palace of Qing Dynasty. In Jin and Yuan dynasties, it was a famous attraction called Weng Mountain.

In Ming dynasty, there built a Yuanjing Buddhist Temple. Later in1750, it was reconstructed, including: changed the name of Weng Mountain to Longevity Hill, enlarged the Kunming Lake, decorated garden with hundreds of pavilions, halls, palaces and temples and changed name into Qingyi Garden. During the Opium Wars in 1860, British and French Troops ransacked the Palace, buring many buildings, destroying the gardens and plundering its treasures. In 1888, Dowager empress Cixi spent enormous amount of money on restoration and reconstruction of it, using funds diverted from the Imperial Navy and named it Summer Palace. Summer Palace occupies 300 hectare and is mainly consisted of Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake and over 3,000 halls, temples, pavilions and houses, each with its own distinct features. Surrounding Longevity Hill, it was divided into three main zones (administration, living, and relaxation). In front of the Hill there are wonderful buildings, temples, pavilions and the traditional theater - Dehe Theater, which are masterpieces of wood structure architecture of its time. Across from the east to the west of the park, there lies a 700 meters long roofed ¡°Corridor¡±, with its magnificently painted ceilings. Along the Kunming Lake, there are Qingyan Mable Boat, Zhiqing Pavilion and a Seventeen Arched Bridge, all with stricking designs and have attracted millions attention. On the South Lake Island in the middle of the Kunming Lake there stands a Dragon King Temple. At the back of the Hill there is an area of tranquil gardens, hillocks and winding paths under shady trees. The whole garden is surrounded by hills and waterways with thousands of pavilions, halls, palaces and temples. Along with Longevity Hill, Jade Spring Mountain and Fragrant Hill, Summer Palace¡¯s attractive layout is famed for its landcaped gardens, courtyards, temples and pavilions, which were designed to achieve harmony with nature. It holds a prominet status in the history of manmade garden in the world.

On the reverse, the image of Double Pigs was carefully crafted based on the famous Chinese paiter Mr. Xu Behong¡¯s work of ¡°Double Pigs¡±. It was once said that Chinese people even want to be like a pig, that is, to live comfortably as a pig. Intelligent and lovely, the pig may, to a certain degree, reprent one of the Chinese people¡¯s nature. View images