Serial number: 2004-26
Values in set: 9
Denomination: 840 yuan
Date of issue: October 18, 2004
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of stamp: 58*31mm
Perforation: 12*12.5
Sheet composition: 9(se-tenant)
Printing process: offset-engraving combined
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

Along the River During the Qingming Festival, was issued on October 18, 2004. It consists of nine stamps with a total face value of 7.80 yuan, printed in a 3×3 continuous sheet format, without a separate large sheet issue. The stamps were designed by Wang Huming, with original painting materials provided by the Palace Museum, Shi Yuan serving as the responsible editor, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using a combination of offset and intaglio (engraving) printing. The stamps measure 58×31 mm, and the full sheet measures 236×121 mm. The first-day ceremony was held in Kaifeng, Henan. This stamp set is the first high-quality ancient painting stamp issue produced using new-generation offset-intaglio printing equipment in China, and was also entered as a submission for the international stamp printing competition. The set reproduces the full handscroll in a continuous se-tenant format.

Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a genre painting handscroll by the Northern Song artist Zhang Zeduan, now housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing. The painting uses a scattered perspective to depict the bustling urban life of the capital city, Bianjing (now Kaifeng), during the Qingming Festival. The scroll extends from the rural outskirts to the city streets, capturing rural scenery, river transportation, urban commerce, and a variety of figures. The painting features hundreds of figures with different identities, as well as carts, boats, and buildings, providing a detailed record of the economic and social life of the Song Dynasty. It is both a masterpiece of ancient Chinese painting and a valuable historical resource. China Post reproduced the entire scroll in nine continuous segments, allowing this famous work to be fully displayed in a stamp format, promoting traditional Chinese art and culture.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Spring Scenery in the Countryside

The stamp depicts the quiet rural landscape outside Bianjing, with gentle fields, sparse trees, and traveling groups, opening the scroll with a serene and expansive spring atmosphere.

Travelers on the Country Paths

On the country roads, carts and travelers move to and fro, with farmers and merchants traveling together. The scattered trees and the transition from the outskirts to the river set the narrative rhythm of the scroll.

Riverside Village

Along the upper reaches of the Bian River, scattered thatched houses, a quietly flowing river, and lush riverbank vegetation gradually introduce the core scene of the scroll: canal transportation on the Bian River.

Barges Awaiting Departure

Boats are moored along the river, with boatmen busy at work. The bustling atmosphere of water transport begins to emerge, revealing the importance of canal transportation to the economy of the Northern Song capital.

The Rainbow Bridge Crossing

The stamp focuses on the visual center of the scroll: the Rainbow Bridge. People crowd the bridge, and below, a large boat struggles to pass through the archway, with boatmen working together in a tense and lively scene. This is one of the most dramatic and iconic sections of the scroll.

Riverside Markets

Along the riverbanks downstream from the bridge, shops line the streets, and merchants gather at the docks. Boats move to and fro, presenting a lively scene of the Bian River as a vital transportation artery.

City Gate and Streets

The scene transitions to the city gate area of Bianliang. A tall city tower stands at the end of the street, with carts, horses, and people entering the city, moving from the riverfront to the urban market.

Marketplace and Shops

Along the streets within the city, shops, restaurants, pawnshops, and stalls line the streets. Officials, merchants, sedan-chair bearers, and monks move through the crowd, creating a vibrant commercial atmosphere.

Bustling Urban Life

In the concluding section of the scroll, the streets become even more lively, with shop signs everywhere and crowds of people, bringing the vibrant and dynamic urban life of the Northern Song capital to a full close.

Artistic and Design Features

The horizontal format follows the original painting, with the nine stamps forming a complete handscroll when joined. The combined offset and intaglio printing technique balances the soft tones of offset printing with the sharp, detailed lines of engraving, faithfully reproducing the ancient, elegant ink-wash texture of the original painting. Fine details, including figures, boats, and architecture, are clearly visible. The stamps incorporate multiple anti-counterfeiting features, including security paper, security ink, and fluorescent spray codes. The sheet includes vertical inscriptions, poetry, and antique seal decorations on the right side, creating a simple and elegant format that preserves the scholarly character of the ancient scroll.

This stamp set is a special issue on the theme of ancient Chinese painting handscrolls, using a nine-stamp continuous format, suitable for thematic collections on classical Chinese paintings and engraved stamp issues.