Scott No: 2958-59
Serial number: 1999-5
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: May 18, 1999
Designers: Yin Huili
Size: 40*30mm
Perforation: 11*11.5
Sheet composition: 16
Printing process: gravure

The special stamp set Red Deer was issued on May 18, 1999. It consists of two stamps with a total face value of 1.60 yuan. It was jointly designed by Yin Huili of China and Vladimir D. Kolganov of Russia and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process. It uses a horizontal two-stamp continuous format. This is a special stamp set jointly issued by the postal services of China and Russia. It takes the red deer, which inhabits both countries across the Eurasian continent, as its theme, advocating wildlife protection and bearing witness to the friendly and neighborly relations between China and Russia.

The red deer, also known as the elk, is a large deer species. In China, it is a national second-class protected wild animal. It is widely distributed in the forest regions of Northeast China, Xinjiang, and Siberia. It is a rare mammal shared by the border forests of China and Russia. The stamp set features two images: a male red deer, and a female red deer with a young deer. It showcases the red deer's natural habitat in the wild. Using wildlife as a bond, it reflects the shared ecological homeland of the two countries and conveys the environmental protection concept of protecting biodiversity and safeguarding forest wildlife.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Red Deer

The main image is a robust male red deer standing with its head raised, with huge, multi-branched antlers. The background shows a forest and distant deer herd. The antlers of the male red deer are its signature feature. Red deer inhabit mountain forests and grasslands and are good runners. The image reproduces the majestic posture of a male red deer in the wild, showcasing the life force of the species.

Red Deer

The image depicts a female red deer with two young deer moving across an open grassland. The female deer has no antlers and a gentle form. The young deer follow closely beside their mother, presenting a warm scene of red deer family herd life and showcasing the natural habits of red deer reproduction and rearing of offspring.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp set uses a realistic animal painting style. The brushwork is delicate, and the colors realistically reproduce the texture of the fur. The simple grassland and forest background sets off the main subjects. The photogravure printing provides rich layers, delicately expressing fur texture and the natural environment. The two stamps are printed in a horizontal continuous pair, with connected scenes, combining the male deer and the female deer with young into a complete red deer herd scroll. It is a representative work in the category of jointly issued wildlife stamps between China and other countries.