Scott No: 2346
Serial number: J180
Values in set: 1
Denomination: 20 fen
Date of issue: August 2, 1991
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of stamps: 40*30 mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 40 (5*8)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

The commemorative stamp The 13th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research, catalog number J180, was issued on August 2, 1991. It consists of one stamp, produced using the photogravure process. The stamp measures 40×30 mm, with a perforation gauge of 11×11.5 degrees. Each sheet contains 40 stamps (5×8). It was designed by Wang Huming and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works.

Thematic Focus of the Set

This stamp was issued to commemorate the 13th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research held in Beijing. This was the first time this international academic conference was held in China. The Quaternary is the most recent geological period, closely related to the origins of humanity, paleoclimate change, and glacial evolution. The stamp showcases Quaternary ancient humans, paleontological life, and glacial landforms, conveying the scientific concept of global cooperative research on environmental evolution and exploration of human evolutionary history.

Stamp Design and Historical Background

The 13th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research

The main subject is a reconstruction of the Peking Man's head. The background features glaciers and snow-capped mountains, with representative Quaternary paleontological creatures such as mammoths and ancient rhinoceroses depicted on the left. The Peking Man fossils are an important paleoanthropological discovery in China. Mammoths and glacial landscapes visually embody the environmental characteristics of the Quaternary Ice Age. The congress emblem is printed in the upper right corner.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp uses a charcoal sketch style. The cool blue and white background enhances the vast and desolate atmosphere of the Ice Age. The hierarchy is clear, with the ape-man's head as the visual center, and paleontological creatures and glaciers as environmental supplements. It is realistic and scientific, with a simple and substantial image that fits the academic theme of geological and paleoanthropological research.