Serial number: 2009-20
Scott Number: -
Values in set: 6
Denomination: 930 fen
Date of issue: September 13, 2009
Size of stamp: 28 * 50 mm
Perforation: 13 * 13.5
Sheet composition: 6 (1 set)
Size of sheet: 135 * 220 mm
Printing process: Offset, engraving and silkscreen
Designer of stamp: Wang Huming
Printer: Henan Postage Stamp Printing House

On September 13, 2009, the special stamp "Three Hundred Tang Poems" (catalog number 2009-20) was first issued at the Du Fu Thatched Cottage in Chengdu. It is an important stamp set in the classical poetry series of New China and the world's first multimedia stamp issue, created as a tribute for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The set consists of six stamps with face values of 1.20 yuan, 1.20 yuan, 1.20 yuan, 1.20 yuan, 1.50 yuan, and 3.00 yuan, for a total face value of 9.30 yuan. The stamps were designed by Wang Huming and printed using a combination of offset, intaglio, and silk-screen printing.

Three Hundred Tang Poems, compiled by Sun Zhu (also known as Hengtang Tuishi) of the Qing Dynasty, has been circulated for over two hundred years and is the most widely recognized anthology of Tang poetry. It brings together classic poems by renowned Tang Dynasty poets of various styles. The stamps feature famous works by six representative poets: Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Li Shangyin, Zhang Jiuling, and Wang Zhihuan, covering themes such as frontier and landscape poetry, historical reflections, and sentiments of home and separation. The stamp set innovatively realizes the concept of "one sheet, one book," printing all 313 Tang poems—over 25,000 characters—on the sheet borders using micro-engraving technology. Within the limited space of the stamps, poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seals are integrated, presenting the brilliance of Tang poetry and preserving the classical poetic tradition, while pioneering a new form of multimedia special stamps.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background:

Leaving Jiangling (Li Bai)

Image: The complete text of "Early Departure from Baidi City" is printed, with simple landscape patterns. This poem was written by Li Bai during his return journey after being pardoned, expressing a lighthearted and exuberant spirit, characteristic of the romantic poetry of the High Tang.

Gazing at Mount Tai (Du Fu)

Image: The text of "Gazing at Mount Tai" is printed, with a faint background of Mount Tai. This is a representative early work of Du Fu, expressing his ambition to climb to the top and embrace the world, a famous poem about Mount Tai that exemplifies Du Fu's profound and powerful style.

Song of the Pipa Player (Bai Juyi)

Image: A silhouette of a lady playing the pipa, with selected text from the poem. "Song of the Pipa Player" blends narrative and lyricism, representing Bai Juyi's mastery of long narrative poetry, using the story of a musician to express reflections on life.

Untitled (Li Shangyin)

Image: Presented in the style of an ancient book, featuring the famous line "It's hard to part, even meeting is hard." Li Shangyin's untitled poems are rich in allusion and deep in feeling, representing the subtle and veiled artistic style of late Tang poetry.

Gazing at the Moon and Thinking of a Faraway Friend (Zhang Jiuling)

Image: Decorated with a full moon and cloud patterns, featuring the immortal line "The moon rises over the sea, and we share this moment across the distance." This poem uses the moon to express longing, with a broad and elegant atmosphere, making it a classic Tang poem for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

On the Stork Tower (Wang Zhihuan)

Image: A simple silhouette of the Stork Tower, with the complete short poem. The poem's famous lines, "If you want to see a thousand miles farther, go up one more flight of stairs," are philosophical and concise, making it one of the most widely circulated five-character poems.

Artistic and Design Features:

Format: Uniform vertical long stamps with a beige antique background, using traditional regular script for the text, exuding classic elegance. The six stamps are designed to be viewed together in a horizontal sequence.
Innovative Techniques: The stamps combine engraving, silk-screen printing, scented ink, and phosphorescent ink. A dedicated digital pen can be used to listen to poetry recitations, and rubbing the stamp surface releases a subtle sandalwood fragrance, achieving a multimedia experience that is visual, audible, tactile, and olfactory.
Sheet Design: The sheet border features Fan Kuan's Snow Scene and Cold Forest from the Northern Song Dynasty, surrounded by ultra-fine micro-engraved text of all the poems, a masterpiece of stamp printing craftsmanship.
Thematic Scope: The selected poets span the early, high, mid, and late Tang periods, representing diverse styles and presenting the artistic evolution of Tang poetry.

This stamp set is a landmark issue in the modern stamp series, the world's first multimedia stamp, and has won numerous national and international printing and design awards. Available in various formats including single stamps, sheets, and fold-out booklets, it is a core item for thematic collections on classical literature and Tang poetry. As the first issue in the classical poetry series, it was followed by stamps for Song Ci, Yuan Qu, and the Book of Songs, forming a complete system of Chinese poetry stamps, which are commonly collected as a complete set.