2017-03-28 Tue

Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan had conducted a banknote design contest. The winning design titled Formosa — The Beautiful Island by Lin Yujun was announced on 27th March. The design highlights the wildlife of Taiwan and Taipei 101. The winner was decided based on an online poll.

The winning banknote design also featured the Mikado pheasant, the Formosan sika deer, the Formosan black bear and the Formosan clouded leopard. This design received 13,428 votes. The second in line was Taiwan — Bringing Beautiful Lives Together by Wang Yi-chun, which got 10,358 votes.

The party had expressed their desire to remove authoritarian symbols from Taiwan’s banknotes and coins. They suggest that images of Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek should also be removed. There have been mixed reactions about the Party’s views. However, the Party thinks that there is a need to become free from dictatorship and these new symbols will highlight Taiwanese values. The debate is still in progress in assembly sessions. The Central Bank will decide if the banknote designs have to be redesigned. However, a special committee might be assigned for evaluating the decision. The party suggests that the transition process should be carried out in phases so that the costs can be reduced.

Image Courtesy: Taipei Times