Scott No: 3218-20
Serial number:2002-16
Values in set: 3
Denomination: 4.40 yuan
Date of issue: 20th July 2002
Designer: Zhu Naizheng
Size of stamps: 50*38 mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 16
Printing process: offset
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

The stamp set is cataloged as 2002-16, titled Qinghai Lake. It was issued on July 20, 2002. The set consists of three stamps in an offset edition printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory. The designer is Zhu Naizheng. The total face value is 4.4 yuan. Each stamp measures 50×38 mm, with a perforation gauge of 12 degrees. Each sheet contains 16 stamps.

Qinghai Lake was known as the Western Sea in ancient times. In Tibetan, it is called Co Ngoinbo, meaning "blue lake." It is the largest inland saltwater lake in China, located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Surrounded by mountains, with vast grasslands along its shores, the lake area has a unique ecosystem and is a habitat for numerous migratory birds. This stamp set uses an oil painting style, featuring three representative scenes—lakeside, Bird Island, and distant view—showcasing the vast and magnificent natural scenery of this plateau lake and conveying the concept of plateau ecological protection.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Lakeside

The stamp shows the lakeside grassland on the southern shore of Qinghai Lake. Green meadows stretch out, with the blue lake in the distance. Cattle and sheep are scattered across the grassland, and the distant mountains roll gently. The grasslands around Qinghai Lake are excellent natural pastures. Tibetan herders have lived here for generations, herding livestock and forming a unique plateau nomadic culture. In summer, wildflowers bloom along the shore, and the lake, grassland, and distant mountains together form a plateau pastoral scene, presenting the vibrant lakeside character of Qinghai Lake.

Bird Island

The stamp depicts a scene of tens of thousands of birds gathered on Bird Island. The lake surface ripples with blue waves, and flocks of brown-headed gulls and bar-headed geese gather on the island, either resting or circling in the air. Bird Island on Qinghai Lake is an important breeding ground for migratory birds in Asia. Every spring, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds travel great distances to migrate here, build nests, and raise their young. The unique water environment and abundant food of Qinghai Lake support a complete bird ecosystem, making Bird Island the most iconic ecological landscape of the lake.

Distant View

The stamp presents a grand panoramic view of Qinghai Lake from afar. The vast lake surface stretches endlessly, with Haixin Mountain floating quietly in the blue water. The outlines of distant mountain ranges are continuous, and the water meets the sky with drifting clouds. Haixin Mountain is an island in the center of Qinghai Lake, with legends associated with it since ancient times. This image uses a grand perspective to express the vast, sea-like scale of Qinghai Lake, fully displaying the vast and distant character of this great plateau lake and highlighting its magnificent natural layout.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamps use offset printing, with warm and substantial colors, reproducing the brushstroke texture of oil painting and delicately presenting the layers of the plateau lake's blue and the grassland's green. The stamps use a horizontal format, with the three stamps progressing from near to far—from the local lakeside ecology to the bird flocks on the lake, and then to the distant view of the entire lake—forming a progressive viewing perspective. The original artwork uses an oil painting style, with rich and steady colors and soft light and shadow, without elaborate decoration. It focuses on expressing the pure and vast natural character of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, integrating the lake, grassland, birds, and distant mountains, fully displaying the unique plateau beauty of Qinghai Lake.