Scott No: 2184-88
Serial number: T129
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: December 25, 1988
Denomination: 88 fen
Designers: Gong Wenzheng
Size of stamps: 60*27mm
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 20(5*4)
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T129 "Chinese Orchids" special stamps were issued on December 25, 1988. The set consists of 4 stamps plus 1 souvenir sheet, printed by offset, with a stamp size of 60 × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11, and 20 stamps per sheet. The paintings are by Gong Wenzhen, the poems inscribed by Shen Peng, and the stamps printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.

Theme of the Set

The orchid is one of China's ten traditional famous flowers and has long been known as "national fragrance" and "the beauty of the empty valley." Its cultivation history spans more than two thousand years, and it is a cultural symbol of the gentleman's character. This set selects famous traditional varieties from the four major categories—Cymbidium goeringii (spring orchid), Cymbidium faberi (Huilan), Cymbidium ensifolium (Jianlan), and Cymbidium sinense (Molian)—and adopts the form of combining poetry, calligraphy, and painting, integrating Chinese painting, calligraphy, and orchid-praising poetry within the square inch of a stamp. It both presents the refined and unworldly natural beauty of Chinese orchids and carries the spiritual connotation of literati using orchids as a metaphor for virtue. It is a classic among flower-themed stamps and has won an international stamp printing award.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Longzi

The image shows the famous spring orchid variety Longzi, one of the Four Great Heavens of spring orchids, with slender, spreading leaves and a graceful flower form. On the left is a poem by Su Shi: "The spring orchid is like a beauty, unplucked yet shyly offering herself; now and then its wind-and-dew fragrance is smelled, hidden deep among the fleabane and mugwort."

Dayipin

The image shows the Huilan variety Dayipin, a traditional famous variety of Huilan, with upright flower scapes and many flowers blooming together in an elegant spirit. It is paired with a Qing dynasty orchid poem by He Shaoji, expressing the graceful bearing of Huilan growing freely in the mountains and fields.

Dafengwei

The image shows the Jianlan variety Dafengwei, whose leaves are as graceful as a phoenix tail, blooming in summer and autumn with a long-lasting fragrance. It is paired with a Tang dynasty orchid poem by Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, writing of the orchid's subtle fragrance and its quality of remaining fragrant even when no one is there.

Silver-Edged Molan

The image shows the Molan variety Silver-Edged Molan, whose leaf edges have a white rim, with upright flower scapes and richly colored flowers, mostly blooming in winter. It is paired with a Ming dynasty orchid poem by Zhang Yu, carrying a calm and gentle temperament of its own.

Chinese Orchids (Souvenir Sheet)

The main subject is the Red Lotus Petal, a lotus-petal orchid with brilliant red flowers and beautiful blooms and leaves. Above is a poem on orchids by Marshal Zhu De, and the background is a pale blue water-ripple texture, with a quiet and secluded artistic conception.

Artistic Design Features

The set adopts the techniques of fine-brush light-color Chinese painting, with delicate brushwork and elegant, restrained coloring. Each stamp has calligraphy on the left and painting on the right, with the calligraphy and the orchid painting setting off each other, integrating poetry, calligraphy, and painting into a trinity. The overall tone is quiet and refined, effectively expressing the gentlemanly temperament of Chinese orchids—subtle fragrance, inward-looking, and unostentatious. It is one of the highest artistic achievements among New China's flower stamps.