A commemorative coin marking the return of China's armillary sphere has been officially issued, according to Wu Min, the coin's designer, who comes from Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province.

The coin is 33 millimeters in diameter and made of brass. The front side features an armillary sphere with an ancient astronomical chart in the background. The back side features a dragon and four ancient astronomical observation tools.

The armillary sphere has a history of more than 2,000 years and was used to measure the locations and movements of stars in ancient China.

One such sphere that was made during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was stolen by foreign invaders in 1900 and returned to China in 1920. It has since been kept at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Nanjing.

Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the return of the armillary sphere, and a total of 60,000 coins will be issued in celebration, according to Wu.

The coin, along with a copy of the armillary sphere, will also be displayed at the Expo Dubai 2020.

The front side of the commemorative coin [Photo/ntjoy.com]

The back side of the commemorative coin [Photo/ntjoy.com]