Not every giant panda is black and white: in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi province, brown-and-white animals turn up now and then. The best known of them, a male named Qizai, is the only panda of this colouring living in captivity. This souvenir «30 yuan» token dated 2002 shows the classic black-and-white panda.

Most Qinling pandas are still black and white, and only a handful of brown ones have ever been found. Whether Qizai owes his colour to a mutation or to his environment is something scientists are still working out.

The token is a privately produced souvenir; it does not belong to the People’s Bank of China issues and is not legal tender. This piece is in UNC condition, with no signs of circulation. In a year-by-year set of souvenir pandas it fills the 2002 slot.

Other numismatic items from the same country or on the same theme are in the VPcoins catalogue.