As a tangible symbol of a nation’s identity, banknotes are a window into history—from South Africa’s reckoning with apartheid to the challenges of building a unified country after Bosnia’s civil war.

作為一個(gè)國家身份的有形象征，紙幣是了解歷史的窗口，從南非對(duì)種族隔離制度的反思，到波斯尼亞內(nèi)戰(zhàn)后建立統(tǒng)一國家的挑戰(zhàn)，紙幣是我們了解歷史的媒介。

BY AMY MCKEEVER

作者：艾米·麥基弗

Emblazoned with mottos, emblems, and historical imagery, money is one of the most tangible symbols of a nation’s identity. As that identity evolves, so too does the design of the country’s coins and banknotes—and the process can be fraught.

印著格言、象征和歷史意象的貨幣是一個(gè)國家身份最具體的象征之一。隨著貨幣這種身份的演變，一個(gè)國家的硬幣和紙幣的設(shè)計(jì)也在發(fā)展，而這個(gè)發(fā)展過程可能會(huì)充滿變數(shù)。

That has been the case in the United States with a plan to make abolitionist Harriet Tubman the face of the $20 bill, replacing former U.S. President Andrew Jackson. Although the U.S. Treasury had hoped to issue the design in time for the women’s suffrage centennial in 2020, the plan languished under President Donald Trump, who had criticized it as “political correctness.” Now, however, the Biden administration has announced it will move forward with the redesign.

美國的情況就是如此，那時(shí)候有一項(xiàng)用廢奴主義者哈里特.塔布曼代替美國前總統(tǒng)安德魯.杰克遜印制20美元紙幣的計(jì)劃。雖然美國財(cái)政部曾希望在2020年婦女選舉權(quán)100周年紀(jì)念時(shí)發(fā)布這一設(shè)計(jì)，但在唐納德·特朗普總統(tǒng)的任期內(nèi)，這一計(jì)劃被擱置，因?yàn)樗u(píng)這是“政治正確”行為。 然而現(xiàn)在，拜登政府又宣布將重新推進(jìn)這一設(shè)計(jì)。

But how do countries determine whose portraits to feature on their currency, and what does it tell us about their pasts? Here’s a look at banknotes from around the world and the stories behind their creation—from the delicate negotiations to create a Bosnian currency in the wake of civil war, to the nations that have used their currency as a way to move on from colonialism and reckon with racist pasts.

但是，國家是如何決定將誰的肖像印在貨幣上的呢?這些肖像又告訴了我們有關(guān)它們的過去的什么信息呢? 下面我們來看看世界各地的紙幣以及它們被創(chuàng)造的背后的故事，從內(nèi)戰(zhàn)后波斯尼亞貨幣的微妙談判，到那些將貨幣作為擺脫殖民主義和種族主義歷史的一種方式的國家，他們的歷史都體現(xiàn)在了貨幣上。


Many countries use their banknotes as a way to honor their earliest leaders. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam led the movement to end British colonial rule in Mauritius. In 1968, he became the country’s first prime minister and now appears on its 2000-rupee note.

許多國家用紙幣來紀(jì)念他們最早的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人。西沃薩古爾·拉姆古蘭領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了結(jié)束英國在毛里求斯殖民統(tǒng)治的運(yùn)動(dòng)。1968年，他成為該國首任總理，現(xiàn)在出現(xiàn)在價(jià)值2000盧比的紙幣上。
查看源圖像

Celebrated as the “father of the nation,” Michael Somare was a politician who led the push for Papua New Guinea’s 1975 independence from Australia. Somare, who now appears on the 50-kina note, was the country’s first and longest-serving prime minister.

邁克爾·索馬雷是一名政治家，被國民譽(yù)為“國父”，1975年他領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了巴布亞新幾內(nèi)亞從澳大利亞獨(dú)立出來的運(yùn)動(dòng)。索馬雷現(xiàn)在出現(xiàn)在價(jià)值50金納的紙幣上，他是該國第一位也是任期最長的總理。

United States
In 1866, controversy erupted when the U.S. Treasury issued a five-cent note bearing the portrait of Spencer Clark, the first chief of what is now known as the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. Clark was not well liked by some members of Congress, who had accused him years earlier of fraud and “gross immorality.” (A Congressional committee dismissed the charges.)

1866年，當(dāng)美國財(cái)政部發(fā)行了一張印著斯賓塞·克拉克的頭像的面值5美分的鈔票時(shí)，爭(zhēng)議爆發(fā)了。這位克拉克是現(xiàn)在被稱為印刷和鑄幣局的首任局長。一些國會(huì)議員并不喜歡克拉克，他們?cè)缭趲啄昵熬椭缚厮墼p和“嚴(yán)重不道德”了。(不過一個(gè)國會(huì)委員會(huì)駁回了這些指控。)

Following public outcry, Congress passed a law on April 7, 1866, which prohibited depicting the “portrait or likeness of any living person” on the country’s currency. U.S. law still prohibits using the likeness of living people today, and even commemorative coins honoring a past president cannot be issued until two years after the president’s death.

在公眾的強(qiáng)烈抗議下，國會(huì)于1866年4月7日通過了一項(xiàng)法律，禁止在國家貨幣上描繪“任何在世的人的肖像”。 直到今天，美國法律仍然禁止使用活人的肖像，甚至紀(jì)念前任總統(tǒng)的紀(jì)念幣也要在總統(tǒng)去世兩年后才能發(fā)行。

In the modern era, the country has mainly celebrated past presidents and Founding Fathers on its currency—with portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Ulysses S. Grant, and Benjamin Franklin gracing its banknotes.

在現(xiàn)代，美國主要在其貨幣上紀(jì)念歷任總統(tǒng)和開國元?jiǎng)?，比如喬治·華盛頓、托馬斯·杰斐遜、亞伯拉罕·林肯、亞歷山大·漢密爾頓、尤利西斯·s·格蘭特和本杰明·富蘭克林的肖像都出現(xiàn)在美元紙幣上。

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s banknotes bear the images of the country’s famous writers, but that decision was driven more by conflict avoidance than literary admiration. In 1995, the Dayton Accords brought an end to years of civil war in Bosnia and created a single state with two parts, the Serb Republic and the Croat-Bosniak Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

波斯尼亞和黑塞哥維那的鈔票上印有該國著名作家的肖像，但這一決定更多是出于避免沖突，而不是出于文學(xué)崇拜。1995年，《代頓協(xié)定》結(jié)束了波斯尼亞多年的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，建立了一個(gè)由塞爾維亞共和國和波斯尼亞-黑塞哥維那克羅地亞-波斯尼亞聯(lián)邦兩部分組成的單一國家。

Similarly, the new nation would have a single currency, the Bosnian convertible mark, but would issue two versions of each denomination to reflect the cultural identity of each side. The banknotes still had to be cohesive, however, and initial submissions were rejected for violating that requirement—including one controversial design featuring Serb hero Gavrilo Princip, famous for setting off World War I by assassinating Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

和其他國家一樣，這個(gè)新的國家需要設(shè)計(jì)一種單一的貨幣，即波斯尼亞可兌換馬克，但每一種面額將發(fā)行兩個(gè)版本，以反映雙方的文化特征。然而，鈔票必須是有連貫性的，最初的設(shè)計(jì)就因?yàn)檫`反了這一要求而被拒絕了，這其中包括一個(gè)有爭(zhēng)議的設(shè)計(jì)，這個(gè)設(shè)計(jì)以因刺殺奧匈帝國的弗朗茨·斐迪南大公而聞名于世的塞爾維亞英雄加夫里洛·普林西普為主角。

Debates over banknote design dragged on for so long that the bank had to issue coupons instead when it opened in 1997, according to U.S. economist Warren Coats, who helped establish the bank. Ultimately, the two sides agreed on using portraits of writers—and even found some common ground as both sexted novelist Me?a Selimovi? for their five-mark notes. That note has since been discontinued, but in 2002, the country created a new 200-mark note featuring the Nobel Prize-winning writer Ivo Andric.

據(jù)幫助建立該國銀行的美國經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家沃倫·科茨說，關(guān)于紙幣設(shè)計(jì)的爭(zhēng)論持續(xù)了很長時(shí)間，以至于該銀行在1997年開業(yè)時(shí)不得不發(fā)行票券。最終，雙方同意使用作家的肖像，甚至達(dá)成了共識(shí)，因?yàn)殡p方都選擇了小說家梅亞·塞利莫維奇作為他們的五馬克錢幣的頭像。后來這種紙幣已經(jīng)停止流通，但在2002年，英國創(chuàng)造了一種新的200馬克紙幣，其頭像是諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)得主作家伊沃·安德里克。

New Zealand

新西蘭

New Zealand’s banknote design has been “an unintentional litmus test of New Zealand’s evolving self-image” ever since it began issuing currency in 1934, according to historian Matthew Wright. The British dominion’s first banknotes reflected a split identity, bearing both British and local motifs. The earliest series bore a portrait of Māori King Tawhaio, whose image was replaced in 1940 with Captain James Cook, the British explorer who “discovered” New Zealand.

歷史學(xué)家馬修·賴特表示，自1934年新西蘭開始發(fā)行紙幣以來，其紙幣設(shè)計(jì)一直是“對(duì)新西蘭不斷演變的自我形象的一次次無意識(shí)的試金石”。 英國自治領(lǐng)的首批紙幣既有英國的圖案，也有地方的圖案，這反映了一種分裂的身份。最早的系列是毛利族拓哈鷗（Tawhaio）國王的肖像，1940年，他的肖像被“發(fā)現(xiàn)”新西蘭的英國探險(xiǎn)家詹姆斯·錨點(diǎn)庫克船長取代。

New Zealand became a self-governing nation in 1947—yet in 1967, more than 20 years later, it was still proud of its association with Britain. Queen Elizabeth II displaced Cook on all denominations, alongside indigenous plants and birds.

新西蘭在1947年成為自治國家，但在20多年后的1967年，它仍以與英國的聯(lián)系為榮。所以英國女王伊麗莎白二世取代了所有紙幣面額上的庫克船長以及當(dāng)?shù)氐闹参锖网B類。

By the late 20th century, however, New Zealand had begun to think of itself as a diverse and sovereign nation. In 1991, five years after winning full legal independence from Britain, New Zealand removed the Queen from all but its $20 bill and replaced her with prominent New Zealanders—including women’s suffrage leader Kate Shepperd, mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, Māori political and cultural leader Sir Apirana Ngata, and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ernest Rutherford—who still grace the banknotes today.

然而，到了20世紀(jì)末，新西蘭開始認(rèn)為自己是一個(gè)多元化的主權(quán)國家。1991年,在從英國贏得獨(dú)立的五年后,新西蘭將女王肖像從除了20比爾以外的鈔票上移除,取而代之的是一些杰出的新西蘭人，這包括包括婦女選舉權(quán)領(lǐng)袖凱特·謝潑德，登山運(yùn)動(dòng)員埃德蒙·希拉里爵士，毛利族政治和文化領(lǐng)袖阿皮拉納·恩加塔爵士，以及新西蘭諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)得主、物理學(xué)家歐內(nèi)斯特·盧瑟福，盧瑟福至今仍是紙幣上的重要人物。

South Africa

南非
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://www.top-shui.cn 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處


Like New Zealand, the evolution of South Africa’s banknotes reflects the country’s reckoning with its colonial history. In 1961, it issued its first banknotes after gaining independence from Great Britain. In tribute to its colonial beginnings, however, each bill bore a portrait of Jan van Riebeeck, a Dutch explorer who in 1652 founded the trading station that would become Cape Town

和新西蘭一樣，南非紙幣的演變反映了該國對(duì)殖民歷史的反思。1961年，南非從英國獲得獨(dú)立后發(fā)行了第一張鈔票。然而，為了紀(jì)念開普敦的殖民歷史，每張鈔票上都印有揚(yáng)·范·里貝克的肖像。揚(yáng)·范·里貝克是一位荷蘭探險(xiǎn)家，正是他在1652年創(chuàng)建了后來成為開普敦的貿(mào)易站。

Van Riebeeck remained the face of the nation’s currency for three decades. In 1992, however, as South Africa grappled with dismantling its racist apartheid system, he was finally replaced with its iconic “big five” animals—the rhinoceros, elephant, lion, Cape buffalo, and leopard—that were deemed more representative of (and acceptable to) South Africans.

在30年的時(shí)間里，范·里貝克的肖像一直在這個(gè)國家的貨幣上。然而，到了1992年，當(dāng)南非努力廢除種族隔離制度時(shí)，范·里貝克最終被標(biāo)志性的犀牛、大象、獅子、野牛和豹這“五大動(dòng)物”所取代，人們這些動(dòng)物更能代表南非(并為南非人所接受)。

Twenty years later, South Africa made another big change. In 2012, the country unveiled new banknotes featuring the country’s first Black president and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. “A country’s currency is a fundamental component of its national identity,” said South African Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus, explaining that the new design “reflects South Africa’s pride as a nation.” Mandela remains the face of South African currency—and in 2018 the country even issued a commemorative series of banknotes depicting scenes from Mandela’s life to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth.

二十年后，南非又發(fā)生了另一個(gè)重大變化。2012年，南非推出了印有南非首位黑人總統(tǒng)、反種族隔離活動(dòng)家納爾遜·曼德拉頭像的新紙幣。南非儲(chǔ)備銀行行長吉爾·馬庫斯說:“一個(gè)國家的貨幣是其國家身份的一個(gè)基本組成部分?！彼忉屨f，新設(shè)計(jì)“反映了南非作為一個(gè)國家的自豪感。” 曼德拉目前仍然是南非貨幣的形象，2018年，該國甚至發(fā)行了一系列描繪曼德拉生活場(chǎng)景的紀(jì)念鈔票，以慶祝他誕辰100周年。

Mongolia

蒙古國

Mongolia traces its monetary history to the 13th-century rule of Genghis Khan. He transformed the nation from a pastoral economy to a global powerhouse, creating the largest contiguous empire in history. Although Genghis Khan introduced gold and silver coins to the empire, it would be his grandson, Kublai Khan, who would widely implement paper money.

蒙古的貨幣歷史可以追溯到13世紀(jì)成吉思汗統(tǒng)治時(shí)期。那時(shí)，成吉思汗將這個(gè)游牧經(jīng)濟(jì)的國家轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)槭澜鐝?qiáng)國，創(chuàng)造了歷史上最大的連片帝國。雖然成吉思汗向帝國引進(jìn)了金幣和銀幣，但真正廣泛使用紙幣的卻是他的孫子忽必烈。

Mongolia has kept things relatively simple with just two prominent figures on its banknotes: its famous ancient ruler Genghis Khan, and revolutionary hero Damdin Sükhbaatar.

蒙古的鈔票上只印了兩個(gè)重要人物，一個(gè)是著名的古代統(tǒng)治者成吉思汗，另一個(gè)是革命英雄達(dá)姆丁.塞赫巴塔爾,。

A portrait of Sükhbaatar first graced the country’s banknotes in 1939, commemorating his role in establishing the rule of the com...st People’s Republic of Mongolia. The war hero would continue to dominate the currency for more than 50 years, until democracy swept Mongolia in the 1990s. Since 1993, Genghis Khan has been featured on the highest-value bills—from 500 to 20,000 togrogs—while Sükhbaatar still appears on smaller denominations.

1939年，為紀(jì)念他在建立共產(chǎn)主義蒙古人民共和國過程中所起的作用，蒙古國的鈔票上首次印上塞赫巴塔爾的頭像。這位戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)英雄繼續(xù)主宰了貨幣長達(dá)50多年，直到上世紀(jì)90年代蒙古實(shí)行民主才有所變化。自1993年以來，成吉思汗一直出現(xiàn)在從500到20000元不等的面值較高的紙幣上，，而塞赫巴塔爾仍然出現(xiàn)在較小面額的紙幣上。

Dominican Republic

多米尼加共和國

The Dominican Republic’s 200-peso note pays homage to three sisters who organized a resistance movement against dictator Rafael Trujillo—and whose murder kicked off a revolution.

多米尼加共和國的200比索紙幣則是向三姐妹致敬，三姐妹組織了反對(duì)獨(dú)裁者拉斐爾·特魯吉洛的抵抗運(yùn)動(dòng)，正是她們的謀殺案引發(fā)了一場(chǎng)革命。

After rising to power in 1930, Trujillo ruthlessly ruled over the Dominican Republic. He imprisoned, tortured, or murdered anyone who spoke out against him. In the 1950s, the Mirabal sisters—Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa—became leaders in the resistance movement that sought to end the brutal regime. Trujillo repeatedly arrested and imprisoned them before ultimately ordering their assassination on November 25, 1960.

1930年上臺(tái)后，特魯希略無情地統(tǒng)治著多米尼加共和國。他監(jiān)禁、折磨或謀殺任何公開反對(duì)他的人。在20世紀(jì)50年代，米拉巴爾姐妹帕特里亞、密娜娃和瑪麗亞.特蕾莎成為抵抗運(yùn)動(dòng)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者，他們?cè)噲D結(jié)束野蠻的政權(quán)。特魯希略多次逮捕和監(jiān)禁他們，最終于1960年11月25日下令暗殺他們。

Trujillo’s regime ended a year later with his assassination, but it would be decades before the government embraced the Mirabel sisters (also known as Las Mariposas, or the butterflies) as national heroes. Although they briefly graced a 25-centavo coin in the 1980s, the Mirabel sisters became the face of the 200-peso note in 2007. The UN has also designated the date of their murder as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

一年后，特魯希略被暗殺，特魯希略的政權(quán)也隨之終結(jié)，但直到幾十年后，政府才將米拉貝爾姐妹(又名拉斯馬里波薩斯或蝴蝶)奉為民族英雄。盡管米拉貝爾姐妹在20世紀(jì)80年代曾短暫地出現(xiàn)在25分硬幣上，但在2007年，她們成為了200比索紙幣的頭像。聯(lián)合國還將殺害她們的日期定為對(duì)婦女的暴力消除國際紀(jì)念日。