The design of the panda is changed every year and minted in different sizes and denominations, ranging from 0.5 troy oz.

There are several mints that produced Silver Panda coins over the years, including: Shanghai, Shenyang, and Shenzhen.

In certain years there are minor variations in the coin design—such as the size of the date, and temple that allows the originating mint to be determined.

The center of the obverse is a depiction of The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, located in the Temple of Heaven complex in Beijing.

Chinese characters on top say "中华人民共和国", meaning the People's Republic of China and the bottom the year of issue.

The reverse shows portraits of the giant panda that changes every year (except for 2001 and 2002, which share the same design).