Scott No: 2063
Serial number: J135
Values in set: 1
Date of issue: October 17, 1986
Denomination: 200 fen
Designers: Liu Shuoren
Size of stamps: 60*40mm
Size of S/S: 135*80mm
Perforation: 11.5
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

J135 "Second Congress of the All-China Philatelic Federation" commemorative souvenir sheet was issued on October 17, 1986. The set consists of 1 souvenir sheet, printed by offset, with a souvenir sheet size of 130 × 80 mm, stamp size 60 × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11. Designed by Liu Shuoren and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.

Theme of the Set

The Second Congress of the All-China Philatelic Federation was held in Beijing. The congress revised the federation's constitution and elected a new council. The souvenir sheet selects a Warring States postal relay tiger tally as its main subject, tracing China's long-standing ancient postal relay culture, indicating the lineage connecting philately with the postal service and the ancient relay system, congratulating the congress on its smooth convening, and highlighting the profound historical roots of philatelic culture.

Stamp Design and Historical Background

Tiger Tally for Transmitting Royal Orders

The main subject of the design is a bronze tiger tally of the Chu state from the Warring States period. The tiger is in a reclining posture, and the body is inscribed with characters; it was a credential for transmitting royal orders and for passage through the relay system in ancient times. The border is paired with a rubbing of the sealing clay of the "Seal of the Relay Inn," and the name of the congress and the time and place of its holding are printed on both sides. The tiger tally is a precious physical artifact of China's early postal relay system, bearing witness to the development of ancient relay communications.

Artistic Design Features

The design adopts an antique and elegant archaistic style, with steady and soft tones and a faithful restoration of the texture of the bronze artifact. It ingeniously combines an ancient postal relay artifact with the theme of the philatelic congress, with a strong epigraphic flavor. It is one of the best-known souvenir sheets in the series for the congresses of the All-China Philatelic Federation.