Scott No: 3002-05
Serial number:2000-2
Values in set: 3
Denomination: 4.40 yuan
Date of issue: January 29, 2000
Designer: Hang Xudong
Size of stamps: 30*40mm
Size of S/S: 122*82mm
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 40
Printing process: photogravur
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

The special stamp set Spring Festival was issued on January 29, 2000. It consists of three stamps with a total face value of 4.40 yuan. It was designed by Hao Xudong and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process. A souvenir sheet and a miniature sheet were also issued. This set is the opening work of China Post's traditional Chinese festival series. It features scenes of Spring Festival folk customs, showcasing the New Year traditions of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new across the Chinese land, and launching the series of special stamps on traditional festivals.

The Spring Festival is the most grand and important traditional festival of the Chinese nation, carrying the cultural connotations of family reunion and welcoming the new year with blessings. The stamp set follows the chronological order of the New Year, featuring three typical folk customs: preparations in the twelfth lunar month, bidding farewell to the old year on New Year's Eve, and the shehuo performances of the new spring. Using folk art techniques, it recreates the lively scene of the New Year, showcasing the folk culture passed down through generations and expressing the people's wishes for peace, prosperity, and a flourishing life.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Welcoming the New Spring

The stamp depicts two women cutting and pasting window decorations. Entering the twelfth lunar month, every household begins cleaning, cutting and pasting window flowers, and replacing door charms. These are iconic customs marking the beginning of the Spring Festival. Paper-cut window decorations symbolize good fortune. The image vividly recreates the warm scene of busy New Year preparations, enhancing the joyful atmosphere as the Spring Festival approaches.

Bidding Farewell to the Old Year

The stamp depicts children setting off firecrackers and palace lanterns hanging at the door. Setting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve has traditionally symbolized warding off evil and disasters and bidding farewell to the old year. Hanging red lanterns adds to the festive atmosphere. It presents the traditional folk custom of the family staying up late on New Year's Eve and welcoming spring with firecrackers, conveying the festival's meaning of out with the old and in with the new.

Shehuo Revelry

The stamp uses a rich red background to set off the lively scene of a dragon dance. Shehuo is a grand collective folk entertainment activity during the Spring Festival. The dragon dance is a classic shehuo performance, symbolizing favorable weather and national peace. The image shows the climax of the New Year celebrations, reflecting the passionate and unrestrained festive character of folk festivals.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp set draws on the artistic style of folk New Year prints and paper-cutting. The colors are rich and full, with striking contrasts of red and green. The forms are simple and rustic, full of folk flavor. The photogravure printing provides bright colors, reproducing the unique decorative beauty of folk art. The three stamps follow the chronological order of New Year customs, providing a continuous narrative from busy preparations, to New Year's Eve vigil, to New Spring entertainment, fully linking the folk customs of the Spring Festival. It is a classic work in the traditional festival-themed stamp series.