China Post Issues – 2023
Isues 7 — 12
Issue 2023-7 Two stamps issued on 2023 May 10 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of China-Spain diplomatic relations. Each stamp has a face value of 1.2 yuan, measures 50 * 30 mm and is perforated 13. There are twelve stamps on a sheet. The stamps were designed by Ma Lihang and printed using photogravure by the Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works. The first one shows Hengshui Lake in China and the second shows Fuente de Piedra Lake in Spain. SG: 5519 – 5520.
Issue 2023-8 showcases the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, fairly close to the Palace Museum (Forbidden City). The stamp has a denomination of 1.2 yuan and was issued on 2023 May 23. Each stamp is 60 × 30 mm and is perforated 13.5 × 13. There are twelve stamps in a sheet.
The National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) was started building in 1958 and open to the public in 1963. It is a national cultural landmark in Beijing. NAMOC integrates exhibition, collection, research, public education, international exchange, restoration of artworks, and cultural and creative industry. It houses more than 130,000 pieces of various collections and has held more than 5,500 influential art exhibitions. Many important works of Chinese art history were first exhibited here and then became known to the public. NAMOC is responsible for promoting outstanding traditional culture, collecting all kinds of fine arts, strengthening international and domestic exchanges, facilitating contemporary artistic creation, building the peak of fine arts and benefiting public cultural services.
The design of the stamp takes the main building of NAMOC as the major element. With its picture and its theme prominent, the stamp shows the rich national color and traditional charm of the museum. The stamp is designed by Yu Qiuyan, engraved by Yang Zhiying and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing House Company Limited with offset intaglio technology. SG: 5521.
Issue 2023-9 is another in the series about important works of Chinese animation. This issue has five stamps celebrating the Nine-Colored Deer. They were released on 2023 June 1. Each stamp has a value of 1.2 yuan. Each stamp is 42 x 30 mm and perforated 13. There are ten stamps per sheet two of each design.
Stamps were designed by Yuan Yishan and printed at the Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works using Photogravure. The five designs issued are called Emergence of Divine Deer, Be Kind to All, Rescue People from Dangers, Divine Deer Gets Trapped, Escape with Magic Power. SG: 5522 – 5526
Issue 2023-10 was released on 2023 June 18. Two individual stamps plus a souvenir sheet to showcase the Knick Knack Peddler, a popular subject for paintings during several periods of Chinese art history. Each individual stamp measures 55 x 42 mm, is perforated 13 and has a value of 1.2 yuan. The souvenir sheet measures 190 x 85 mm and the large stamp in it is 138 x 50 mm. The stamp on the sheet is also perforated 13 and has a value of 6 yuan. The set was designed by Wang Huming and printed using Offset and Engraving by the Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works. SG: 5527 – 5528, souvenir sheet: SG 5529.
Issue 2023-11 features Modern Bridge Construction and was released 2023 June 30. There are 3 stamps and 1 souvenir sheet in the set. Individual stamps have a face value of 1.2 yuan and the stamp in the souvenir sheet has a value of 6 yuan. The individual stamps measure 60 x 30 mm and are perforated 13.5 x 13. Sheets are composed of twelve of each issue. The designers for this issue are Guo Zhenshan and Yang Rui. Printing was done using Offset by the Beijing Stamp Printing House Company Limited for the individual stamps and photogravure for the souvenir sheet.
The designs of the three stamps are the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge, Oujiang Beikou Bridge and the Third Pingnan Bridge. The design of the souvenir sheet is named Beipan River Bridge.
The Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge, independently designed and built by China, was the world’s first cable-stayed bridge with a main span of more than 1,000 meters. It accommodates both cars and trains. The bridge boasts five world records, which makes it a milestone in the history of railway bridge construction in China. The Oujiang Beikou Bridge is the world’s first three-tower four-span double-decked steel-truss suspension bridge, holding three world records. The Third Pingnan Bridge is a concrete-filled steel tubular arch bridge with the largest span among all the bridges opened to traffic in the world. During its construction, 20 research projects were established and eventually 58 inventions were patented. The Beipan River Bridge connecting Yunnan and Guizhou is a twin-tower four-lane steel-truss cable-stayed bridge. Soaring 565 meters (equivalent to a 200-story skyscraper) over Beipan River, it is currently the world’s highest bridge with the second largest span of its kind.
The designers of the stamps used watercolor painting, combining dry and wet techniques, and draw upon different perspectives to show the exterior characteristics of the bridges and their imposing momentum of flying over rivers and mountains. This set of stamps is designed by Guo Zhenshan and Yang Rui, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing House Company Limited through offset technology for the stamps and photogravure for the souvenir sheet. SG: 5530 – 5532, Souvenir sheet SG: 5533.
Issue 2023-12 is the third issue in the Stories of Idioms series. There are four values in the set issued on 2023 July 15. The first two have values of 0.80 yuan, and the second two are 1.2 yuan each. The stamps are 30 x 50 mm and perforated 13.5. Each stamp was printed in a separate sheet of sixteen. Stamps were designed by Liu Jingui. The Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works used Photogravure to print the stamps.
The four individual stamps are titled: Grinding an Iron Rod into a Needle, Standing in the Snow before Cheng Yi's Gate, The Book's Leather Binding Broken Three Times From Constant Use, The Child Is Worth Teaching. SG: 5534 – 5537.
These six issues take us to the middle of 2023. There are eighteen more issues in 2023.