Scott No: 2746
Serial number: 1997-2
Values in set: 1
Date of issue: January 1, 1997
Designers: Lu Tianjiao
Size: 30*40mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 50
Printing process: offset

The commemorative stamp China's First National Agricultural Census, catalog number 1997-2, was issued on January 1, 1997. It consists of one stamp, produced using offset printing. The stamp measures 40×30 mm, with a perforation gauge of 12 degrees. Each sheet contains 50 stamps. It was designed by Lu Tianjiao and printed by Shenyang Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory in Liaoning Province.

This stamp was issued to promote China's first national agricultural census. The State Council decided to conduct the first national agricultural census in 1997 to comprehensively ascertain basic rural conditions such as land, population, agricultural machinery, and rural industries, to gain a clear understanding of the agricultural foundation, and to provide detailed and reliable data support for formulating rural development policies and planning the national economy. The stamp combines the census emblem with pastoral scenery, showcasing the vigorous vitality of China's rural land and reflecting the important significance of the agricultural census in serving rural construction and supporting agricultural modernization.

Stamp Design and Historical Background

China's First National Agricultural Census

At the top of the design is the special emblem of this agricultural census. The emblem features wheat ears surrounding a dove of peace, with the census reference time printed below. The main subject is rolling green fields, with agricultural machinery cultivating the land and farmhouses and trees dotted in the distance, presenting a vibrant pastoral scene. This census was New China's first large-scale national agricultural survey, covering vast rural areas and systematically collecting basic information on agricultural resources, rural population, and production facilities. It was a major national survey for understanding the state of rural development.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp composition is simple and lively, with decorative wheat ear patterns on the top and bottom echoing the agricultural theme. Fresh green is used to represent the vast farmland, with simple and soft colors. The emblem design is concise and striking, combining the abstract census work with realistic pastoral scenes, intuitively reflecting the theme of the agricultural census taking root in the fields and serving rural economic construction.