Gold reserve refers to the gold held by a country's monetary authorities as a financial asset in order to balance the international payments and maintain or influence the exchange rate level. It plays a special role in stabilizing the national economy, curbing inflation and improving international reputation. The management significance of gold reserves lies in realizing the maximum possible liquidity and profitability of gold reserves. As one of the main forms of international reserves, gold reserve has its own limitations in liquidity, and its moderate scale should be considered.

The significance of correctly understanding the concept of gold reserve lies in: first, it is conducive to determining the reasonable scale of gold reserve; Second, it can avoid confusion with the daily gold assets of commercial banks, which is conducive to the normal operation of banking business; Third, it is conducive to the central bank of the country that implements gold control to correctly formulate gold management policies and promote the healthy development of its own gold industry and related industries. As a part of international reserves, gold reserves are only one aspect of measuring national wealth. High gold reserves will enhance the ability to resist the impact of international investment funds, help make up the balance of payments deficit, and help maintain a country's economic stability. However, excessive gold reserves will lead to an increase in the holding cost of the central bank, because the yield of gold reserves is basically zero in the long run, and the importance of gold reserves has been greatly reduced after the disintegration of the gold standard. At present, China's gold reserves are about 600 tons, that is, 600 million grams, and the average per capita is less than 0.5 grams. Of course, the number of banknotes issued by the state is not limited to these.