Scott No: -
Serial number: 2007-7
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: April 8, 2007
Denomination: 360 fen
Designer: Wu Yuechen
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 12.5 * 11.5
Sheet composition: 18 (6 sets)
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Henan Postage Stamp Printing Works

This stamp set was officially issued on April 8, 2007. It consists of three stamps, each with a face value of 1.20 yuan, for a total face value of 3.60 yuan. The stamps were designed by Wu Yuechen, with Shi Yuan serving as the responsible editor, and printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory using offset printing.

Yangzhou gardens are an important branch of classical Chinese garden art, combining the delicate elegance of southern gardens with the bold grandeur of northern gardens, making them unique in the history of Chinese landscape design. This stamp set features three representative Yangzhou gardens: He Garden, Ge Garden, and Xu Garden, each showcasing a different style—late Qing residential garden, four-season rockery garden, and lakeside garden. Together, they present the garden design philosophy of "seeing the big through the small and changing views with every step," highlighting the classical architecture of Jiangnan and the poetic harmony of nature, while promoting the rich cultural heritage of Yangzhou gardens.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

He Garden

Known as the "best garden of the late Qing Dynasty," the stamp depicts the garden's water stage and the double-layered cloisters. The two-tiered corridors surround the courtyard, with a pavilion by the pond, creating the most iconic scene of He Garden. It reflects the blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles and the refined spatial arrangement characteristic of late Qing gardens.

Ge Garden

Famous for its bamboo and rock formations, the stamp captures the spring bamboo and rockery scenery. Ge Garden is renowned for its use of rockeries to represent the four seasons through stacked stones, making it one of the most accomplished private gardens in China for rockery artistry.

Xu Garden

Located along the Slender West Lake, the stamp features the Tingli Pavilion, with a lotus pond in front and ancient trees providing shade. Though small in scale, the garden is elegant and refined. It houses iron tripods from the Southern Dynasty, blending historic artifacts with the garden's natural beauty, making it a charming "garden within a garden."

Artistic and Design Features

The three horizontal stamps form a continuous scenic view, rendered in a delicate gongbi (meticulous brushwork) style with fresh and elegant tones, capturing the soft water and tree colors typical of Jiangnan. The detailed depictions of pavilions, rockeries, ponds, and plants are faithfully reproduced, with offset printing providing smooth and subtle layers. The three-stamp continuous format unfolds like a scroll, creating a serene and refined Yangzhou garden experience.

This stamp set is a special issue on classical Jiangnan gardens, available in stamp set and large sheet formats. Collectors often pair it with other garden-themed stamps, such as those featuring Suzhou gardens, Lingering Garden, and Master-of-Nets Garden, making it a classic addition to thematic collections on ancient architecture and Jiangnan cultural landscapes.