Scott No: -
Serial number: 2024-4
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: April 18th, 2024
Denomination: 360 fen
Designer: Wang Yuheng, Yuan Yishan
Size of stamps: 44 * 33 mm
Perforation: 13 * 13.5
Sheet composition: 12 (4 Sets)
Size of sheet: 213 * 248 mm
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 3 special stamps titled World Natural Heritage – Chengjiang Fossil Site on April 18, 2024. The stamps feature three fossil species: Microdictyon sinicum, the symbiotic fossils of Cricocosmia jinningensis and Vetulicola cuneata, and Fuxianhuia protensa, with a total face value of 3.60 yuan. The planned circulation of the stamp set is 5.88 million.

Since the first fossil of Naraoia longicaudata was discovered in July 1984, the Chengjiang Fossil Site has yielded and documented over 300 species of rare Cambrian animal fossils belonging to more than 20 phyla. Ancestors of nearly all extant animal phyla can be traced here. The site accurately records the historical fact of the "Cambrian Explosion of Early Life" and serves as the finest evidence of this pivotal evolutionary event. Meanwhile, the Chengjiang fossils exhibit remarkable species diversity, presenting a complete picture of marine biological communities and ecosystems in the early Cambrian period, and thus constitute an unparalleled window for understanding the structure of biological communities during that era. In July 2012, at the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee, the Chengjiang Fossil Site was inscribed on the World Heritage List and remains the only fossil-based World Heritage site in Asia to date.

The design of this stamp set strives for simplicity and purity, utilizing colored pencils to emphasize a hand-drawn texture, with schematic maps of the geographic locations of Fuxian Lake and Maotian Mountain overlaid on the stamp faces. Beyond artistic restorations corresponding to the three fossils, the attached stamps depict the overall panorama of the ancient marine biological community of the Chengjiang Biota, vividly recreating the magnificent landscape of marine life and the characteristics of biodiversity approximately 520 million years ago. Printed with high-precision offset lithography, the stamps employ special pearlescent and metallic inks to enhance the luster of the images. A 3D embossing technique highlights the main subjects of the stamps, adding a sense of depth. Under ultraviolet light, the geographic schematic maps are revealed on the stamps. The 37 ancient organisms in the attached illustrations are printed in full true color, displaying a brilliant luminous effect under UV light that echoes the fluorescent reflection of ancient marine organisms exposed to intense sunlight. The stamps are also integrated with multiple anti-counterfeiting technologies, such as microtext and special-shaped perforations.

This stamp set is designed by Wang Yuheng and Yuan Yishan, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Co., Ltd. using offset printing technology with partial embossing.