The People's Bank of China Wednesday issued a set of memorial gold and silver coins embossed with artistic carvings of the Maiji Grottos, located in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The set contains two gold coins and one silver coin. The central bank issued 8,800 pieces of the half-ounce gold coin, each with a face value of 200 yuan (about US$24), 288 pieces of the five-ounce gold coin, each with a face value of 2,000 yuan (about US$240), and 20,000 pieces of the two-ounce silver coin, each with a face value of 20 yuan (about US$2.4).

The Maiji Grottos, which stands 45 kilometers away from Tianshui City, is one of the four largest grottos in China.

The Maiji Grottos has 194 caves, over 7,200 soil- or stone-carved statues, and over 1,300 square meters of frescos. It is known as the "Oriental Sculpture Art Museum."
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2004)