Scott No: -
Serial number: 2018-15
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: June 18, 2018
Denomination: 240 fen
Designer: Li Yunzhong
Size of stamps: 38 * 50 mm
Perforation: 13 * 13.5
Sheet composition:
12 for Sheet I;
6 (3 Sets) for Sheet II
Size of sheet:
190 * 200 mm for Sheet I;
150 * 190 mm for Sheet II
Size of S/S: 86 * 125 mm
Size of S/S Stamp: 64 * 92 mm
S/S Perforation: 13
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Stamp Printing Works

China Post scheduled the issuance of the "Qu Yuan" special stamps on June 18, 2018. The set includes 2 individual stamps and 1 souvenir sheet. The stamps are titled Lament and "Li Sao" and Seeking and "Tian Wen" respectively, while the souvenir sheet is titled Portrait of Qu Yuan. The total face value of the full set is 8.40 yuan.

For thousands of years, Qu Yuan’s spirit and character have always inspired the Chinese people. The traditional folk customs of making zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings) and holding dragon boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival in China originated from people’s commemoration of Qu Yuan. In 1953, Qu Yuan was designated by the World Peace Council as one of the "Four World Cultural Celebrities" to be commemorated that year, and China Post issued a set of "World Cultural Celebrities" commemorative stamps for this occasion. In 2009, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, with commemorating Qu Yuan as its core content, and its related legends were inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The stamps were created using traditional Chinese painting techniques. In Lament and "Li Sao", Qu Yuan sits upright in front of a writing desk, holding a brush and lost in thought with a furrowed brow. This scene depicts the moment when he, after being alienated by the King of Chu, wrote his masterpiece Li Sao (The Lament) amid sorrow and profound contemplation. The background incorporates elements mentioned in the verses of Li Sao, such as fragrant orchids, dragons, and phoenixes. In Seeking and "Tian Wen", Qu Yuan looks up at the sky, raises one hand toward heaven, and stands against the wind as turbulent waves crash against the shore. This portrays the scene when Qu Yuan, during his exile in his later years, composed Tian Wen (Heavenly Questions). The background features cosmic elements described at the beginning of Tian Wen, reflecting Qu Yuan’s spiritual pursuit of exploring his political ideals through questioning and challenging the "relationship between heaven and humanity, and the changes between ancient and modern times". The souvenir sheet presents Qu Yuan as a scholar-official: holding bamboo slips in both hands, walking forward steadily, and bearing the fate of the state in his heart. The rolling waves in the background are a metaphor for Qu Yuan ending his tragic life by drowning himself in the river, embodying the immortality of Qu Yuan’s spirit and the world’s remembrance of him.

In general, Li Sao, Tian Wen, and Jiu Ge (Nine Songs) can be regarded as representatives of three types of Qu Yuan’s works. Jiu Zhang (Nine Chapters), Yuan You (Distant Journey), Bu Ju (Divining a Dwelling), Yu Fu (The Fisherman), Zhao Hun (Summoning the Soul), and Da Zhao (The Great Summons) can be grouped with Li Sao in terms of content and style. Most of these works are based on specific events, convey clear meanings, and focus on expressing the author’s inner emotions. Li Sao is a magnificent poem forged by Qu Yuan with his ideals, experiences, sorrows, passions, and even his entire life. It shines with a distinct personal brilliance and is the focus of all Qu Yuan’s creations. Tian Wen is a poem Qu Yuan created based on myths and legends, emphasizing his academic attainments as well as his views on history and nature. Jiu Ge originated from the ritual music of the State of Chu for worshipping gods, which was later polished and refined by Qu Yuan. It is filled with a strong flavor of life in the expression of characters’ emotions and the description of ambient atmosphere. However, as it is a work that speaks on behalf of humans or gods rather than the author’s self-expression, it bears more traces of the literary tradition of southern Chu. The group of works represented by Li Sao and the group represented by Jiu Ge together constitute the basic style of Qu Yuan’s works.