Tally sticks from bamboo were issued in China in the second half of the 19th century and again during and after the two world wars. The Chinese called these bamboo tallies dai yong bi, which means something like "transitional currency." Dai yong bi were a form of emergency money, mainly issued by banks, but also by companies and customs authorities. They were carved or inked, or inscriptions were burned into them, indicating the issuer, the date, the value and so on. They had face values between 1 and 1,000 cash. Most of the bamboo tallies were lacquered and punched, in order to string them – as the Chinese did with their cash coins as well. The inscription on this tally indicates that it was issued by the company Tong Shing at a value of 100 cash.