Scott No: 2806-9
Serial number: 1997-19
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: October 24,1997
Designers: Guo Xianlu
Size: 50*30mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 40
Printing process: offset

The special stamp set Xi'an City Wall, catalog number 1997-19, was issued on October 24, 1997. It consists of four stamps, produced using offset printing. The stamps measure 50×30 mm, with a perforation gauge of 12 degrees. Each sheet contains 40 stamps. The stamps were designed by Guo Xianlu and printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory.

The Xi'an City Wall was first built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It is the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China and was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 1961. The wall inherits part of the foundation of the Sui and Tang Dynasty Chang'an City and integrates defensive and garrison functions. The barbican, archery tower, bastions, and corner platforms together form a complete ancient city defense system. The stamps feature four core defensive structures of the city wall, showcasing the superb craftsmanship of ancient Chinese city construction and military defense engineering and recreating the majestic and substantial historical appearance of the ancient capital Chang'an.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Barbican

The image features the barbican at the West Gate of Xi'an. The barbican is built outside the city gate and is an important facility of the city wall defense system. Once the enemy breaks through the city gate, they are trapped inside the barbican, and the defenders can attack from all sides from higher ground—"catching a turtle in a jar." It is a classic defensive design of ancient cities.

Archery Tower

The image shows the archery tower at the West Gate. The exterior of the archery tower is densely covered with arrow windows for defending soldiers to shoot arrows outward at the enemy. The archery tower stands tall on the city wall and, together with the barbican and the main tower, forms layer upon layer of defense. It is an iconic military structure of the Xi'an City Wall.

Bastion

The bastion, also called "horse face," is a pier projecting outward from the city wall, evenly distributed along the outer side of the wall. Bastions allow defending soldiers to shoot at enemies approaching the wall from the side, eliminating defensive blind spots at the foot of the wall and greatly enhancing the wall's defensive capability.

Corner Platform

The corner platform is located at the four corners of the city wall and is a reinforced pier at the corner positions. With a broad field of view, it can monitor the city wall and the area outside the city in two directions. It is a warning and defense node at the four corners of the city wall. The image features the southwest corner platform.

Artistic and Design Features

The set uses a realistic painting style, with steady and antique tones, accurately reproducing the texture and weathered character of the brick and stone city wall. The four stamps are arranged according to the logic of city defense, fully presenting a complete military defense structure of the Ming Dynasty city wall. The images balance architectural scale and environmental atmosphere, presenting the majestic and towering character of the ancient city wall and intuitively showcasing the grand spirit of ancient Chinese city engineering.