Scott No: 3255-58
Serial number: 2003-2
Values in set: 4
Denomination: 4.40 yuan
Date of issue: 25th Jan. 2003
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of stamps:
40*30 mm for Values 1 and 3
30*40 mm for Values 2 and 4
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 20
Printing process: Photogravure
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

This special stamp set, Yangliuqing Woodblock New Year Prints, was issued on January 25, 2003. It consists of four stamps with a total face value of 4.40 yuan, designed by Wang Huming, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process. This set is the opening issue of China Post's woodblock New Year print series. It was released on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year, aligning with the traditional custom of pasting New Year prints during the Spring Festival to welcome blessings. It marks the beginning of the series of special stamps featuring regional traditional woodblock New Year prints in China.

Yangliuqing woodblock New Year prints originated in the Yangliuqing area of Tianjin and are a core representative of northern Chinese woodblock New Year prints. Along with Taohuawu prints from Suzhou, they are known as "Taohuawu in the South, Yangliuqing in the North." They are a national intangible cultural heritage. Yangliuqing prints use a unique half-printing, half-painting technique: colors are first printed from woodblocks, and details are then hand-painted. This distinguishes them from other purely printed New Year prints. The compositions are full and rounded, the figures are handsome and expressive, and the colors are rich, bright, and festive. The subjects are often drawn from auspicious folk themes, myths and legends, opera stories, and everyday urban life, carrying the people's wishes for warding off evil, family well-being, and prosperity. As a model of northern folk art, Yangliuqing prints are rich in rustic flavor and cultural depth. This stamp set features four classic surviving works, presenting their unique artistic style and folk value.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Five Sons Contending for the Lotus

The stamp depicts five lively children playfully scrambling for a lotus flower. Their forms are plump and innocent, their expressions are natural and joyful, and the composition is full and festive. The lotus (lian) is homophonous with "continuous" (lian). Combined with the traditional motif of five sons, it symbolizes the continuous birth of noble sons, five sons passing the imperial examination, and abundant descendants. This is one of the most widely circulated and recognized traditional auspicious New Year print themes, expressing the ancient wish for a prosperous family and continuing lineage.

Zhong Kui

The stamp depicts a majestic standing figure of Zhong Kui. His form is robust and dignified, his features are stern and sharp, and his clothing is ornate with flowing, crisp lines. He exudes an aura of authority and righteousness. In traditional folk culture, Zhong Kui is a deity who wards off evil, dispels disasters, and protects the home. He is a classic door god image in New Year prints. This print fully highlights Zhong Kui's role in upholding justice and expelling evil.

The Legend of the White Snake

The stamp is based on the classic folk legend The Legend of the White Snake, capturing the dramatic scene of Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing traveling to Mount Kunlun to steal the magical lingzhi herb and confronting the guardian immortal. The figures are dynamic, and their expressions and movements are delicately portrayed, vividly recreating the twists and turns of the classic myth. Integrating traditional opera stories into New Year print creation enriches the subject matter and allows folk tales to be passed down through a beloved folk art form.

Jade Hall and Wealth

The stamp features a lady and a child holding three precious flowers: magnolia, crabapple, and peony. The composition is elegant and full, with rich and festive colors. The theme is based on traditional auspicious homophones: magnolia (yulan) represents "jade" (yu), crabapple (haitang) represents "hall" (tang), and peony symbolizes wealth and good fortune. Together, they convey the wish for "Jade Hall and Wealth," family harmony, and prosperity. This is a highly popular auspicious theme among both officials and common households, expressing hopes for a prosperous life and a thriving family.

The entire stamp set faithfully reproduces the authentic folk art style of Yangliuqing woodblock New Year prints, fully preserving the original characteristics of full compositions, vibrant colors, and handsome figures. It accurately captures the unique hand-painted texture and delicate layers of the half-printing, half-painting technique. The photogravure printing provides precise color reproduction, perfectly presenting the bright, festive, and richly layered colors of the prints, with clear and delicate details. The four stamps are arranged in a balanced and coordinated layout, with clean and orderly compositions. They combine the lively New Year atmosphere of northern folk art with deep traditional folk cultural heritage, making this a classic opening issue in the woodblock New Year print stamp series.