Scott No: -
Serial number: 2024-3
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: March 20th, 2024
Denomination: 480 fen
Designer: Rong Tie
Size of stamps: 30 * 60 mm
Perforation: 13.5 * 13
Sheet composition:
12 for Sheet I;
8 for Sheet II (2 sets, rice paper)
Size of sheet:
150 * 215 mm for Sheet I;
200 * 150 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 4 special stamps titled Chinese Seal Carving (II) on March 20, 2024. The stamps feature four seal carvings with their respective artists: After Playing the Zither, Leaning Against a Pine and Adoring Cranes by Wen Peng; Chatting and Laughing, Breathing Neon Glow by He Zhen; Children and Grandchildren Are Not Mine to Possess, Merely a Shed Exoskeleton by Wang Guan; and Watching Flowers Bloom and Wither, Never Discussing Others' Right and Wrong by Cheng Sui. The total face value of the set is 4.80 yuan, with a planned circulation of 6.98 million sets of individual stamps and 900,000 sheetlets (Format 2).

Seal carving art is one of the traditional visual cultural art forms in China, evolving from the practical use of seals. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, scholar seal carving flourished and gradually developed into a unique artistic genre. Before the Ming and Qing dynasties, seals were mainly made of materials such as bronze, jade, and gold; after that, seal carving art took carving knives as the main tool, Chinese characters as the expressive form, and stone as the primary carrier. It emphasizes knife work, composition, and seal script calligraphy, highlighting the free and unrestrained artistic expression of seal carvers, who integrate rich artistic conceptions into the small space of a seal. Deeply loved by Chinese scholars and the general public, Chinese seal carving can be appreciated independently as works of art and is also widely used in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy creation, as well as inscriptions on metal and stone, boasting profound cultural connotations and serving as a typical symbol of China's excellent traditional culture.

Following the vertical stamp format of the first set, this stamp series adopts a pale yellow background, with the seal face displayed on the upper part and the seal itself along with its impression on the lower part. Printed using high-precision offset lithography and special varnish, the stamps enhance the texture of the seals and seal ink. The main subjects of the images employ 3D embossing technology, making the details of the seal carvings vivid and lifelike. Partial embossing is applied to each of the four stamps according to their respective intaglio or relief carving characteristics. Sheetlet (Format 2) is printed on rice paper, whose antique texture further highlights the profoundness of traditional Chinese culture and the spiritual essence of seal carving works.

This stamp set is designed by Rong Tie and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Co., Ltd.