Scott No: -
Serial number: 2018-24
Values in set: 6
Date of issue: September 8, 2018
Denomination: 890 fen
Designer: Gao Yun
Size of stamps: 40 * 35 mm
Perforation: 13 * 13.5
Sheet composition: 6 (1 set)
Size of sheet: 135 * 220 mm
Printing process: Offset + Engraving
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

The Book of Songs (also known as Shi Jing) is the origin of ancient Chinese poetry and the earliest comprehensive collection of poems in China. Originally titled "Shi" (Poems) or "Shi San Bai" (Three Hundred Poems), it compiles 305 poems created from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle Spring and Autumn Period, reflecting the social landscape of approximately 500 years from the early to the late Western Zhou Dynasty.

On September 8, 2018, China Post issued a set of special stamps themed on The Book of Songs, consisting of 6 stamps with a total face value of 8.90 yuan. The stamps are named after six classic poems from The Book of Songs: "Guan Ju" (from "Zhou Nan"), "Jian Jia" (from "Qin Feng"), "Wu Yi" (from "Qin Feng"), "Lu Ming" (from "Xiao Ya"), "He Ming" (from "Xiao Ya"), and "Ma Jiong" (from "Lu Song").

The stamps are created using traditional meticulous brushwork (a refined style of Chinese painting), with a blend of realistic and imaginary elements that artistically convey the artistic conception of the poems:

"Guan Ju" (from "Zhou Nan") depicts the pursuit of beautiful love through scenes of ospreys singing in harmony, water plants (xing cai) floating in the river, and a gentle and quiet woman by the riverbank.

"Jian Jia" (from "Qin Feng") shows reeds covering the river surface and a man by the river seemingly longing for his beloved, expressing the melancholy and frustration of yearning for someone one cannot reach.

"Wu Yi" (from "Qin Feng") portrays soldiers galloping on the battlefield, defending their homeland against foreign invaders, and embodies their lofty aspirations and patriotic spirit.

"Lu Ming" (from "Xiao Ya") captures a joyful atmosphere throughout, with guests playing the qin (zither) and se (a 25-stringed plucked instrument), singing, and toasting with cups, while deer herd cry in the distance.

"He Ming" (from "Xiao Ya") presents a vivid scene with both sound and scenery: fish swimming in a stream and several cranes by the stream crying freely.

"Ma Jiong" (from "Lu Song") illustrates the magnificent scene of a group of horses galloping forward.

The stamps were designed by Gao Yun, using the offset engraving overprinting technique. They incorporate multiple anti-counterfeiting technologies, including anti-counterfeiting paper, special ink, shaped perforations, and fluorescent coding. The border decoration of the stamps was designed by Xia Jingqiu, with original materials provided by the Liaoning Provincial Museum, and the stamps were printed by Beijing Stamp Factory.