Scott No: -
Serial number: 2022-17
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: August 13th, 2022
Denomination: 360 fen
Designer: Lu Jienan, Guo Xianlu
Size of stamps: 44 * 33 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 12
Size of sheet: 165 * 180 mm
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post scheduled the issuance of a set of 3 special stamps themed "Qinqiang Opera" on August 13, 2022. The stamps are respectively named after three classic Qinqiang Opera plays: Flame Steed, Three Drops of Blood, and Touring the West Lake. The total face value of the complete set is 3.60 yuan, with a planned circulation of 6.98 million sets.

Qinqiang Opera is recognized as the originator of the "clapper opera" genre in Chinese traditional opera. It is generally believed to have taken shape before the mid-Ming to mid-Qing dynasties, based on folk songs from regions including Shaanxi, Gansu, and Shanxi provinces. Characterized by its passionate and resounding tunes, it uses a date-wood clapper as a percussion instrument for rhythm. Its librettos are mostly in seven-character lines, and its music follows the "banqiang" (fixed-tune pattern) structure. From the late Ming to early Qing dynasties, Qinqiang Opera spread to both northern and southern parts of China, exerting varying degrees of influence on many clapper opera genres. There are over 2,700 existing traditional Qinqiang Opera plays, mainly focusing on historical stories, along with mythological plays, folk tale plays, and social custom plays. These works cover a wide range of themes and rich content, with traditional plays like The Orphan of Zhao, Flame Steed, and Three Drops of Blood enjoying widespread popularity. In May 2006, Qinqiang Opera was included in the first batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

This set of stamps was designed by Lu Jienan and Guo Xianlu. Lu Jienan is a lecturer at the School of Chinese Painting, Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. Guo Xianlu is a professor and former president of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, as well as a council member of the Chinese Artists Association. He has designed many commemorative and special stamps, including The 70th Anniversary of the Publication of "Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art" and Xi’an City Wall.

The set of stamps selects key scenes from three classic traditional Qinqiang Opera plays – Flame Steed, Three Drops of Blood, and Touring the West Lake – depicting typical opera character roles such as "tongchui hualian" (painted-face warrior), "wenwu xiaosheng" (scholar-warrior young male), "chou" (clown), "laosheng" (elderly male), "xiaosheng" (young male), and "xiaodan" (young female). The original paintings are silk-based color works created using traditional Chinese meticulous brushwork techniques. Bold lines and intense colors are used to echo the unique artistic style of Qinqiang Opera, while soft and elegant backgrounds set off the vividly colored opera characters in the foreground, adding an antique and graceful charm to the images.

This set of stamps was printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Co., Ltd. using the photogravure process.