Hong Kong banknote exhibit opens

On 18 July 2010, an exhibit called “Stories Behind Banknotes" opened in the atrium of the Hong Kong Pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai China (Shanghai Expo), which will run until 15 August. The Commissioner of the HKSAR Expo Affairs Office, Mr Patrick Chan, and the President and Chief Executive Officer Designate, HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited, Ms Helen Wong, officiated at the launch ceremony.

Mr Chan said, "HSBC's exhibition of the banknotes issued by the bank in the past 145 years, in the Hong Kong Pavilion at the first-ever World Expo hosted by our country in the city of Shanghai, has special meaning. "The banknotes featured in this exhibition are precious and very interesting. Many are rare, and some have never been publicly shown before." "Stories Behind Banknotes" provides a unique insight into the social and economic transformation of Hong Kong since HSBC issued its first banknote in the city in 1865.

Among the 56 banknotes featured is the "duress note" issued during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II. Other rare notes from Shanghai and other note-issuing branches across China are also displayed. HSBC Chief Executive Officer Hong Kong Mark McCombe said, "The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited has been the principal issuer of banknotes in Hong Kong since the bank issued its first banknote in 1865, the year of its establishment.

"Currently, approximately two out of every three banknotes in circulation in Hong Kong are issued by HSBC. HSBC's banknotes and their constantly shifting designs illustrate the trade and financial development of the region and provide a valuable insight into the culture and character of the city."