The occasion for this journey was an extraordinary collaborative project: the design of a ten ounce silver coin entitled Legend of Chu. This project was initiated, financed, and organized by Michael Chou, who succeeded in bringing together outstanding artists and experts from the international numismatic community. Among those involved were the widely known comic artist Lee Chi Ching and the highly respected designer Yu Min, who has gained international recognition in particular through his iconic panda coin designs.
To be allowed to be part of this team was a great honor for me, all the more so because the journey was not limited to project work alone. Thanks to the initiative of Michael Chou, visits and professional discussions took place with the state minting facilities in Shenzhen and Shanghai, as well as with the private Shanghai New Century Mint. As a result, this journey developed into an intensive exchange of expertise and at the same time into a contribution to strengthening relations between the minting institutions in China and the Austrian Mint.
Arrival in China: Professional Dialogue and Cultural Insights
After arriving in Hong Kong, I was welcomed by Michael Chou and his friend and renowned numismatic expert King Chan, who accompanied me for almost the entire journey as an interpreter. This support not only enabled in depth professional exchange, but also opened valuable insights into Chinese culture and history, aspects that are often only partially accessible to us in the West. For an artist in particular, this cultural understanding is essential, since visual language, symbolism, and narration always emerge within a historical context.
Together we continued on to Shenzhen, where we first visited the ultramodern Shenzhen Guobao Mint. The reception by Fu Xing, Chairman of Shenzhen Guobao Mint Co., Ltd., was exceptionally warm. Together with numerous high ranking representatives of the Chinese minting sector, I was given a comprehensive tour of the facility, an impression that will remain with me for a long time.
Particularly impressive was the presentation of the new Chinese Dragon Coin. Around one hundred trial strikes were required before the final design was approved, an impressive example of the high standards of quality and the consistency with which artistic and technical aspects are developed down to the smallest detail.
Artistic Work as the Foundation of Coin Design
A special highlight was the visit to the artistic department. The working methods and the environment strongly reminded me of European mints. It is worth emphasizing that, alongside classical design work, training in sculptural modeling, sculpture in clay and plaster, is deliberately promoted. This artisanal foundation is an indispensable prerequisite for high quality coin design, as it sharpens the understanding of volume, transitions, and relief heights, regardless of whether the final design is realized in an analog or digital form.
The direct exchange with fellow artists on site most notably with Song Fei Director of the Designing Center and Senior Designer of Shenzhen Guobao Mint Co., Ltd. showed impressively how universal many design related questions are. How much depth can a relief accommodate? Where is the boundary between richness of detail and overload? These discussions were professionally enriching and confirmed the shared artistic foundations of coin design worldwide.
Conference, COTY Awards, and International Perspectives
This was followed by a conference on the COTY Awards. The intensity and seriousness with which this international award was discussed were impressive. Quality does not arise by chance. It is the result of passion, critical discourse, and the will for continuous improvement.
In this context, I presented my COTY coin Supernova and, illustrated by a current coin design, provided insights into the design process. The focus was not only on the finished motif, but also on conceptual considerations, artistic decisions, and technical limitations. The presentation was complemented by the young artist He Chun, who presented his work on the Chinese Dragon Coin 2025. The subsequent dialogue clearly showed how similar the fundamental artistic questions are, regardless of cultural background or personal style.
With these professional discussions as a foundation, the journey entered its next phase. What had begun as an exchange within institutional and conference settings now shifted into a broader international context.
Macau: Dialogue on an International Level
The following day we traveled on together with Michael Chou and King Chan to Macau. The transfer offered the opportunity for intensive conversations about history, the passion for collecting, and philosophical perspectives on art and design, an exchange that remains memorable and goes far beyond purely professional matters.
In Macau, the Macau International Coin Convention took place, at which the collaborative project, the ten-ounce coin Legend of Chu, was presented to an international audience for the first time. Here I had the opportunity to meet the two outstanding artists Yu Min and his long time assistant designer Vincent Wang in person. Despite language barriers, an intensive professional dialogue developed, supported when necessary by gestures, sketches, or technical aids.
Yu Min is one of the most influential coin designers in modern Chinese numismatics. He designed the award-winning 1983 China First Silver Panda and created or engraved more than 100 Panda coins. Among his major works are the China 1 Yuan Peony Circulating Coin (1991–1999), commonly known as the Peony Dollar, and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Medal. In addition to his work for state mints, he continues to be actively involved in selected projects with private minting institutions. In recognition of his lifetime achievements, he received the 2017 Coin of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Money Fair and is the only coin designer honored as “Nation’s Master Craftsman”.
In these professional exchanges, questions of relief, motif selection, and the narrative realization of a theme were central. Particularly exciting was the discussion of how strongly culturalbackground influences visual language. Remarkable, however, was the realization that the design approaches hardly differ at their core. Differences appear primarily in the symbolism and in the visual vocabulary that grows out of the respective culture and its history.
In addition to the coin show, the accompanying program offered numerous opportunities for exchange with collectors, dealers, and coin enthusiasts. A particular highlight was the afternoon presentation on November 27, dedicated to the 2025 Niue Legend of Chu 10 Dollars coin. The two-hour session was moderated and translated by King Chan, who also served as master of ceremonies. Participating in the discussion were Yu Min, Vincent Wang, Michael Chou, King Chan and me.
The presentation focused on a coin based on one of the most famous characters in Chinese martial arts literature, Chu Liuxiang, created by the renowned Taiwanese author Gu Long.Central to the discussion were the contrasting Eastern and Western design perspectives, which ultimately give the coin its distinctive appeal. Yu Min and I each presented the underlying ideas behind our respective designs and shared sketches from the creative development process, offering rare insight into how narrative, culture, and personal interpretation are translated intonumismatic form. The dialogue etween these different cultural and artistic viewpoints proved to be highly fruitful and resulted in a visually rich coin that stands out clearly within the modern numismatic landscape.
Shanghai: Minting Technology, History, and Shared Values
After the intensive and very dense days in Macau, the journey first led back once more to Hong Kong. This brief stopover provided space for pause and reflection. The impressions of the coin convention, the many conversations, and the discussions about motifs, relief, and cultural visual language were able to resonate once again. Hong Kong once more proved to be a connecting element between East and West, an ideal place to mentally organize the journey so far before the final majorstage began.
From there we continued on to Shanghai. Here, on the initiative of Michael Chou and Deng Weibin, General Manager Asia of the World Platinum Investment Council, a deepening artistic exchange took place with Lou Yong Hui, one of the most renowned contemporary coin artists in China. In intensive conversations, from the first idea through the model to the final strike, he provided insights into his broad artistic spectrum.
Together we analyzed sketches, models, and finished strikes and discussed how emotion, movement, and symbolism can be effectively conveyed despite the limited surface of a coin. The many parallels in our working methods were striking: the high importance of manual modeling, the conscious work with heights and depths in relief, and the claim that every line must fulfill a clear conceptual function. This open and collegial exchange was professionally and personally enriching and underscored the universality of artistic questions in coin design.
The final joint day of the journey was spent together with Michael Chou, Gu Jun, former Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Mint Co., Ltd., and Yu Min. In the morning we visited the Shanghai New Century Mint. There we were warmly welcomed by Li Zhenhua, Engineer of Shanghai New Century Mint Co., Ltd., who guided us through the production facilities.
The breadth and diversity of technical and artistic minting possibilities, ranging from complex medallic techniques to highly refined coin production, left nothing to be desired. Such a comprehensive combination of innovation, craftsmanship, and flexibility is rarely encountered. Like several other visits during the final days of the journey, this experience counted among the highlights and offered valuable insights into the wide spectrum of contemporary minting capabilities. Here, too, it was clearly perceptible that the constant pursuit of the best possible realization guides both artistic and technical decisions.
The visit to the Shanghai New Century Mint was followed by a tour of the Shanghai Mint. Particularly impressive was the museum of the Shanghai Mint, initiated by Gu Jun, which not only presents historical and contemporary coinage but also vividly documents the development of coin production, including historical machines that were once actively in use. The careful design of the museum testifies to the high value placed here on numismatic history and craftsmanship.
The concluding professional exchange with the artistic department and the management of the Shanghai Mint was of special significance. In conversations with Qin Xiaoxiang, General Manager of the Shanghai Mint, Ma Yishun, Market Development Director, Zhu Xihua, Vice Director of the Designing Center, Liao Bo, and other designers, it became clear at what consistently high artistic and technical level work is carried out here.
The dialogue revolved around design processes, quality standards, market requirements, and responsibility toward collectors. The parallels to Austrian Mint were unmistakable. Collectors are entitled to the highest quality, and this can only be achieved when artists, production, and distribution work together in close alignment. This intensive exchange confirmed not only mutual respect, but also a shared understanding of coin art as a synthesis of craftsmanship, technology, and cultural responsibility.
Conclusion
This journey was far more than a business trip. It was an intensive cultural and professional exchange, carried by mutual respect and a shared passion for coin art. The impressions and experiences gained during this time have expanded my artistic horizon and reaffirmed the very purpose of exchange: continuous learning, reflection, and growth. Such encounters are an essential part of artistic development, ensuring that one does not remain static but continues to evolve creatively
My special thanks go to Michael Chou, who made this unforgettable week possible. The impressions, encounters, and conversations will remain vividly in memory, as will the realization that coins, as cultural ambassadors, can build bridges between worlds.