---
title: "Who Is on Chinese Money? Mao and the Yuan Notes | Easy HSK 1 Chinese | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "An easy HSK 1 Chinese reading: whose face is on every Chinese banknote, what is on the back, the biggest note, and why one mao has no Mao on it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/who-is-on-chinese-money"
published: "2026-11-03"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Original article · [HSK 1](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/hsk-1)

# 钱上的人是谁？

Who is on Chinese money?

你看看一块钱，钱上有一个人。你再看看一百块钱，钱上也有一个人。这是两个人吗？不是，这是一个人！

中国的钱有一块、五块、十块、二十块、五十块和一百块。这些钱上，都有他。

那他是谁呢？他叫毛泽东。他是新中国的第一个主席。很多中国人叫他“毛主席”。

钱的后面有什么？有中国的地方。二十块钱的后面，是桂林的山和水。一块钱的呢？是西湖。

中国最大的钱是一百块。没有五百块的，也没有一千块的。现在很多中国人用手机买东西，钱包里的钱不多。

还有一个小问题。毛主席的“毛”和一毛钱的“毛”，是一个字。那一毛钱上有毛主席吗？没有！一毛钱上没有他。

你们那儿的钱上，是谁呢？

**228 characters** in this article

HSK 1 · 1 min audio**中国有多少邻居？**

[Next reading 中国有多少邻居？](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-many-countries-border-china)

## Words in this article

- [主席zhǔxíchairman](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%BB%E5%B8%AD)
- [一块yīkuàione yuan](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%80%E5%9D%97)
- [地方dìfangplace](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%9C%B0%E6%96%B9)
- [山shānmountain](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%B1%B1)
- [后面hòumiànback](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%90%8E%E9%9D%A2)
- [最zuìmost](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%9C%80)
- [你nǐyou](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%BD%A0)
- [钱qiánmoney](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%92%B1)
- [上shàngup](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%8A)
- [有yǒuthere is](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%9C%89)
- [一yīone](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%80)
- [个gèclassifier for people and most things](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%AA)
- [人rénperson](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%BA%BA)
- [再zàiagain](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%86%8D)
- [块kuài(coll.) classifier for money: yuan](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%9D%97)
- [也yěalso](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B9%9F)

Article · 1 min