Scott No: -
Serial number: 2018-25
Values in set: 1
Date of issue: September 15, 2018
Denomination: 120 fen
Designer: Cui Jingzhe
Size of stamps: 30 * 50 mm
Perforation: 13.5
Sheet composition:
16 for Sheet I;
6 for Sheet II
Size of sheet:
180 * 128 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Henan Provinal Post Printing Works

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the "Mid-Autumn Day" or "Eighth-Month Festival", is a traditional cultural festival popular among many ethnic groups in China and countries within the Chinese character cultural circle. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. The name "Mid-Autumn" derives from the fact that this day coincides with the middle of the three autumn months (the seventh, eighth, and ninth lunar months).

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in the early Tang Dynasty, became prevalent in the Song Dynasty, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, it had developed into one of China’s major festivals on a par with the Spring Festival. Influenced by Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival for some countries in East and Southeast Asia, especially among the local Chinese communities and overseas Chinese.

The Mid-Autumn Festival uses the fullness of the moon as an omen of family reunion. It is a traditional festival where people express their nostalgia for their hometowns, longing for relatives, and prayers for a bumper harvest and happiness. Since ancient times, it has been accompanied by a wealth of enduring customs, such as worshipping the moon, admiring the full moon, offering sacrifices to the moon, eating mooncakes, enjoying osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus wine. These customs are invaluable cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. On May 20, 2006, the Mid-Autumn Festival was included in the first batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Since 2008, it has been designated as a national statutory public holiday.

The "Full Moon at Mid-Autumn" special stamps were issued by China Post on September 15, 2018. Created using traditional meticulous brushwork (a fine and detailed style of Chinese painting), the stamp design is divided into upper and lower parts. The upper part depicts the mythological scene of "Jade Rabbit Pounding Elixir", symbolizing health and longevity; the lower part shows the folk scene of "Moon-Walking at Mid-Autumn" (a traditional activity of admiring the moon while strolling during the festival) and moon-worshipping, expressing people’s prayers for a good harvest and well-being.

Printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory, the stamps adopt offset printing technology and scented ink. As the second set in the Mid-Autumn blessing stamp series, its design continues the style of the first set released in 2016, with 56 circular holes symbolizing the unity of China’s 56 ethnic groups.
The stamps integrate two dimensions: mythological narration and folk custom documentation. They not only preserve the traditional implication of "Jade Rabbit Pounding Elixir" for praying for health (as recorded in Huainanzi, an ancient Chinese classic) but also present the scene of "moon-walking" (strolling while admiring the moon) as documented in Dijing Jingwulue (a historical record of Beijing’s scenery and customs from the Ming Dynasty). The moon is designed in a perfect circle, strictly adhering to the folk perception that "the moon is exceptionally round on the Mid-Autumn Festival".

In terms of production, the stamps use offset printing technology, with partial hot stamping to enhance the textural feel. Special scented ink is applied—rubbing the stamp surface releases the fragrance of osmanthus flowers. The anti-counterfeiting system includes anti-counterfeiting paper, special-shaped perforations, and fluorescent coding. The stamps were printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory.