Scott No: -
Serial number: 2021-1
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: January 5, 2021
Denomination: 240 fen
Designer: Yao Zhonghua
Engraver: Liu Bo
Size of stamps: 36 * 36 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition:
16 for Sheet I;
6 for Sheet II
Size of sheet:
168 * 196 mm for Sheet I;
128 * 180 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: Offset and Engraving
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post scheduled the issuance of a set of 2 special stamps themed "Xinchou Year" (the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac) on January 5, 2021. The two stamps are respectively titled "Striving for Progress" and "Great Fortune in the Ox Year", with a total face value of 2.40 yuan for the whole set. The planned circulation is 44.6 million pieces for the first stamp, 42.8 million pieces for the second stamp, 2.5 million sheets for Sheetlet 2, and 6.3 million booklets.

2021 is the Xinchou Year in the Chinese lunar calendar; in folk tradition, years corresponding to the "Chou" branch in the lunar calendar are known as the Year of the Ox. According to the correlation between the Twelve Chinese Zodiac animals and their habits, farmers usually get up to feed oxen during the "Chou Shi" (the period from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. in the 24-hour clock system), hence the ox is paired with "Chou" in the zodiac. With the long-term development of history and culture, the ox has been endowed with richer symbolic meanings such as auspiciousness, strength, diligence, steadiness, dedication, and prosperity. The folk custom of "whipping the Spring Ox" is also prevalent in China. Every year on the Start of Spring (one of the 24 Solar Terms) or at the beginning of the Spring Festival, people would make an ox figure out of earth. Whipping this earth ox symbolizes the start of spring plowing, and serves as a prayer for favorable weather, national stability and people's peace, as well as a bumper harvest in the coming year.

The design of the "Xinchou Year" special stamps inherits the "family and country" concept of the 4th Series of Chinese Zodiac Stamps, and is created by the renowned painter Mr. Yao Zhonghua. Yao Zhonghua, a National First-Class Artist, graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He has long been engaged in the creation of oil paintings, ink wash paintings, gouache paintings, and ink wash cartoons. Most of his works draw inspiration from the landscapes and people of his hometown Yunnan, covering a wide range of themes and adopting diverse techniques. In addition to painting, he has also written some prose and art reviews. He has served successively as a Council Member of the China Artists Association, a Standing Council Member of the Chinese Oil Painting Society, the Vice President of the Yunnan Academy of Painting, and a Member of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Currently, he holds the positions of Honorary Chairman of the Yunnan Oil Painting Society and a Research Fellow at the Yunnan Provincial Research Institute of Culture and History.

Through the combination of dynamism and tranquility, strength and warmth, the "Xinchou Year" special stamps vividly interpret and artistically present the spiritual connotations of the zodiac ox—"being down-to-earth, courageous in striving, pioneering and enterprising, diligent and dedicated". The two stamps respectively convey the expectations of the country and the aspirations of families, together forming a profound New Year blessing. Among them, the first stamp "Striving for Progress" depicts a majestic and unstoppable running ox: with its four hooves lifted, head held high, and eyes shining brightly, it embodies the meaning of braving hardships and forging ahead to strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The second stamp "Great Fortune in the Ox Year" shows a warm scene of an adult ox and a calf expressing deep affection (a reflection of the "ox licking its calf" metaphor for parental love), conveying to the people across the country the beautiful wishes for a prosperous, harmonious, and reunited family.

The booklet of this stamp set is designed by Wang Huming, and presented using a combined offset printing and engraving technique. The engraving work is done by Liu Bo, a young designer from the Stamp Printing Bureau, and the stamps are printed by Beijing Stamp Printing House. The engraved patterns feature richer and more delicate details; when combined with vivid color matching, the overall design appears elegant and solemn. The stamps use special anti-counterfeiting paper dedicated to zodiac stamps. Sheetlet 1 adopts inkless engraving to present zodiac poems, while the color offset variable frequency technology and red fluorescent anti-counterfeiting ink integrate both anti-counterfeiting functions and artistic value.