Scott No: 2204-06
Serial number: R25
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: March 10, 1989
Denomination: 290 fen
Designer: Chen Hanmin, He Jie, Hua Jianxin
Size of stamps: 25*30
Perforation: 12.5*13
Sheet composition: 60(6*10)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

R25 "Folk Dwellings" ordinary stamps, a set of 2, printed by photogravure, stamp size 25 × 30 mm, perforation gauge 12.5 × 13, 60 stamps per sheet (6 × 10). Designed by Chen Hanmin, He Jie, and Hua Jianxin, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. The 160-fen Guizhou Folk Dwelling was issued on March 10, 1989, and the 130-fen Qinghai Folk Dwelling on April 1, 1989.

Theme of the Set

This group is the second set of the "Chinese Folk Dwellings" ordinary stamp series. Both stamps are high-denomination values, suited to the postage needs of international airmail letters and international postcards at the time. They select two regionally distinctive folk dwellings from Qinghai and Guizhou, presenting the sharply different vernacular architectural forms of the plateau and the southwestern mountains, and recording the building wisdom fostered by different natural environments and multi-ethnic living customs. Together with Pu 23, Pu 26, and Pu 27, they form a complete folk dwelling series, bringing traditional dwelling architectural culture from various regions to the general public through the medium of ordinary stamps.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Qinghai Folk Dwelling (130 fen)

The image shows a Zhuangke-style dwelling on the Qinghai Plateau: the front courtyard has a single-story house with high steps, the gate is recessed inward, and the rear courtyard has a two-story building with an outward-projecting veranda on the second floor. Qinghai is home to many ethnic groups; Zhuangke buildings have thick walls and enclosed courtyards to resist the cold plateau winds, and are a dwelling style commonly used by Tibetan, Tu, Hui, and other ethnic groups in the Hehuang region.

Guizhou Folk Dwelling (160 fen)

The image shows a wooden dwelling in the mountains of Guizhou, built on a high stone platform, with a gently sloping roof and a light wooden frame, constructed following the mountain terrain to adapt to the rainy, mountainous environment of the southwest. It integrates the architectural characteristics of local Miao, Bouyei, and other ethnic minorities and balances the practical needs of ventilation and moisture protection.

Artistic Design Features

The set continues the unified decorative painting style of the folk dwelling series, with concise and simplified forms and plain, steady colors. The building outlines are clear, with complicated backgrounds omitted, focusing on highlighting the structural features of the dwellings themselves. The style is plain and realistic, suitable for long-term circulation, and combines practicality with the educational value of folk architecture.