The People's Bank of China issued a set of commemorative coins on Wednesday, to mark the successful launch of Chang'e-1, the country's first lunar probe.

The issuance comprises 20,000 gold coins, with a face value of 150 yuan each, and 40,000 silver coins, with a face value of 10 yuan.

The front of the commemorative coins are decorated with the celestial bodies of the solar system, the word China and the year 2007.

The back of the commemorative coins are displayed with the images of the lunar probe, moon and earth, along with Chinese characters celebrating the successful launch of Chang'e-1.

The coins were produced by the Shenyang Mint and will be distributed by China Gold Coin Inc.

Chang'e-1, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who, according to legend, flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket on Oct. 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwestern Sichuan province.

China published the first picture of the moon captured by Chang'e-1 on Monday morning, marking the success of the country's first ever lunar project.

(CRI November 30, 2007)