The original piece of the I.O.U note. [Photo: sina.com.cn]

A farmer in Guangshan county, central China's Henan province, has asked the government to cash in an I.O.U. worth 30,000 yuan (or 4,900 US dollars) that dates back 68 years.

The local government says it will have the receipt verified at the Military Museum in Beijing when the ongoing APEC meeting is concluded, according to a Huashang Daily report.

The money was borrowed from Zhang Yanshan, who was a doctor and later became a landlord.

The receipt was signed by Jiang Kecheng from the Political Department of the Field Army of the Fifth Division of the New Fourth Army. The troop was under the rule of the Communist Party of China during the Anti-Japanese War. Jiang was commissioned to raise supplies for the army.

The receipt was found in 1989 when Zhang Zhiliang's father was demolishing an old house. It was wrapped in a red cloth and was worn out in several parts.

On the receipt, the last character of the loaner's name was different from his actual one since the two characters sounded similar in Chinese. Zhang Zhiliang, the grandson, argues that it may be due to the strong accent of the local dialect.

Another question to be asked is whether the money noted in the receipt refers to silver dollars or the legal tender issued by the revolutionary government.

The local government has been investigating the incident for more than two years, but no progress has been made.