Scott No: -
Serial number: 2023-19
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: September 23, 2023
Denomination: 240 fen
Designer: Shao Lichen
Size of stamps: 40 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13 * 13.5
Sheet composition:
12 for Sheet I;
8 for Sheet II (2 Sets, silk)
Size of sheet:
190 * 130 mm for Sheet I;
120 * 186 mm for Sheet II
Printing process:
Sheet I: Offset + Engraving
Sheet II: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 2 commemorative stamps themed "The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou" on September 23, 2023. The stamps bear the design titles respectively: Emblem and Mascots. The total face value of the entire stamp set is 2.40 yuan. The planned circulation is 7,830,000 sets for the standard stamp set and 885,000 sheets for the souvenir sheet (Sheetlet 2).

The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou was held from September 23 to October 8. This edition of the Asian Games included 40 sports, 61 disciplines, and 481 events, categorized into four major groups: competitive sports, ball sports, combat sports, and aquatic sports. Notably, esports and breaking were officially included as competitive events in the Hangzhou Asian Games for the first time. The official emblem of this Asian Games, named "Tide Surge", consists of multiple elements: a fan-shaped pattern, the Qiantang River, the waves of the Qiantang Tide, a racing track, internet symbols, and a sun motif symbolizing the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The mascots of this Asian Games—"Chenchen", "Congcong", and "Lianlian"—are a group of robots that carry profound cultural heritage and are full of contemporary vitality. Their collective name is "Memories of Jiangnan", derived from the famous line "When I recall Jiangnan, Hangzhou comes first to mind" by Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The mascots integrate Hangzhou’s historical and cultural heritage, natural ecology, and innovative spirit.

This set of stamps adopts a se-tenant design (connected stamp layout). The two stamps take the emblem and mascots of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou as their main visual elements respectively. The bottom part of the stamps features the core graphics and color system of the Hangzhou Asian Games, which integrates traditional Chinese color culture and the unique characteristics of Hangzhou. The overall design is concise and vivid, with a prominent theme.

The stamps were designed by Shao Lichen and printed by Beijing Stamp Factory Co., Ltd. using a combination of photogravure and offset printing processes, as well as the offset printing process.
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