Scott No: 2193
Serial number: T133
Values in set: 1
Date of issue: January 5, 1989
Denomination: 8 fen
Designers: Lu Shengzhong
Engraver: Hu Zhenyuan
Size of stamps: 26*31mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 80(10*8)
Printing process: Engraving and photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

The special stamp Jisi Year, catalog number T133, was issued on January 5, 1989. It consists of one stamp, produced using a combination of photogravure and intaglio printing. The stamp measures 26×31 mm, with a perforation gauge of 11.5 degrees. Each sheet contains 80 stamps (8×10). It was designed by Lü Shengzhong, engraved by Hu Zhenyuan, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works.

Thematic Focus of the Set

This stamp is the tenth issue in the first cycle of zodiac stamps, the Jisi Year of the Snake. In Chinese folk culture, the snake is called the "little dragon," symbolizing agility, vitality, wisdom, and good fortune. Folk tradition holds that the snake augurs a bountiful harvest and a peaceful home. This stamp continues the creative approach of the first zodiac cycle, which is rooted in folk art and rustic customs. Rather than depicting a realistic snake, it draws on the decorative language of folk paper-cutting and New Year prints to express beautiful wishes for a smooth and auspicious New Year, maintaining the same style as the previous stamps in the first cycle.

Stamp Design and Historical Background

Jisi Year

The main subject is a decorative snake coiled with its head turned back. Its form is round and full, with soft lines, without the cold severity of a realistic snake. The snake's body has a black base, decorated with bright folk patterns in red, yellow, green, and white. The patterns are traditional floral and scrolling vine designs with a strong decorative feel. The snake's head is slightly raised, with a gentle and naive expression, softening the fierce impression of the snake and fitting the folk aesthetic of a festive zodiac animal. Lü Shengzhong himself excels in folk paper-cutting and folk造型 art, and this stamp design fully reflects his understanding of rustic art.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp uses a folk paper-cutting decorative style. The combined photogravure and intaglio printing process combines the solid, clear outlines of the engraved plate with the rich colors of the photogravure plate. The lines are clean and crisp. The forms are highly generalized, exaggerated, and transformed, naive and rustic, with a strong local flavor. The colorful patterns stand out against the black background, creating a strong, festive, and eye-catching contrast. Unlike realistic animal stamps, it emphasizes folk symbolic expression and maintains consistency with the folk decorative system of the first zodiac cycle—the monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, and dragon stamps. It is a highly distinctive issue in the first zodiac cycle.