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Now and then: Shopping through the ages in China

(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2015-02-02 06:58

Now and then: Shopping through the ages in China

A ration coupon. [Photo/IC]

1950s: Ration coupons

In the 1950s-70s, under the centrally-planned economy, Chinese citizens needed to use ration coupons to buy food and other daily necessities, in addition to money.

The coupons, known as liangpiao in Chinese, were issued by the government in the 1950s when food and other commodities were scarce. They were abolished in the 1990s, following the rise of industrial and agricultural production sectors.

Now and then: Shopping through the ages in China

A roadside farmers' market in Haidian, Beijing in Nov, 1956. [Photo/Xinhua]

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