Serial number: 2009-27
Scott Number: -
Values in set: 4
Denomination: 480 fen
Date of issue: November 15, 2009
Size of stamp: 33 * 44 mm
Perforation: 13.5
Sheet composition:
16 for Sheet I;
8 for Sheet II (2 sets)
Size of sheet:
165 * 220 mm for Sheet I;
196 * 120 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: Photogravure
Designer of stamp: Fan Zeng, Zou Yuli
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

On November 15, 2009, the special stamp "Ancient Academies (II)" (catalog number 2009-27) was officially issued. The set consists of four stamps, each with a face value of 1.20 yuan, for a total face value of 4.80 yuan. The stamps were designed by Fan Zeng and Zou Yuli, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process. It is the second set in the ancient academy series, following the 1998-10 "Ancient Academies (I)" issue.

Academies were unique private educational institutions in ancient China, serving as the carriers of Confucian culture for a thousand years, combining teaching, book collection, and ritual functions. This stamp set features four famous ancient academies with distinct cultural characteristics from both the north and south of China: Shigu Academy, Anding Academy, Ehu Academy, and Dongpo Academy. They represent diverse cultural traditions, including Huxiang Neo-Confucianism, the Taizhou School, Song-Ming Neo-Confucian debates, and the spread of culture to the southern coast. The stamps present the architectural styles and historical figures of these academies, continuing the theme of the ancient academy series, preserving the Chinese tradition of valuing education, and enriching the series of stamps on ancient Chinese academy culture.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background:

Shigu Academy

Image: The upper part features a portrait of Han Yu, while the lower part depicts the riverside buildings of Shigu Academy.
History: Located in Hengyang, Hunan, Shigu Academy was founded in the Tang Dynasty and was one of the four great academies of the early Song Dynasty. It is an important birthplace of Huxiang culture. Han Yu once lectured here, and generations of scholars gathered at this site, maintaining a cultural legacy for over a thousand years.
Significance: Represents the thousand-year tradition of Neo-Confucian education in the Hunan region.

Anding Academy

Image: The stamp features the Song Dynasty educator Hu Yuan lecturing, with the ancient gate of Anding Academy in the background.
History: Located in Taizhou, Jiangsu, the academy is the former site where Hu Yuan, known as "Anding Xiansheng," lectured during the Northern Song Dynasty. Hu Yuan pioneered the "branch teaching" system and was a pioneer of educational reform in the Northern Song, serving as the source of the Taizhou School's cultural heritage.
Significance: Represents the educational innovation culture of the Jianghuai region during the Song Dynasty.

Ehu Academy

Image: The stamp features a portrait of Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan debating, with the stone archway of Ehu Academy below.
History: Located in Qianshan, Jiangxi, Ehu Academy is famous for the "Ehu Debate" of the Southern Song Dynasty, where the two schools of Neo-Confucianism engaged in a major philosophical debate, a landmark event in Chinese philosophy.
Significance: Symbolizes the academic peak of Song Dynasty Neo-Confucian debates.

Dongpo Academy

Image: The upper part features a portrait of Su Dongpo, while the lower part depicts the Zaijiu Hall of Dongpo Academy in Danzhou, Hainan.
History: During his exile in Hainan in the Northern Song Dynasty, Su Shi lectured here, initiating the systematic cultural and educational history of Hainan and promoting the spread of Central Plains culture to the island.
Significance: Represents the historical spread of Central Plains culture to the southern coastal regions.

Artistic and Design Features:

The set features a uniform vertical format, continuing the traditional baimiao (line drawing) style. Each stamp is divided into two sections: the upper part features a historical figure associated with the academy, and the lower part features the actual architectural scene of the academy, with a consistent compositional structure. A red vertical plaque on the right side bears the academy's name, replicating the format of ancient books and evoking a scholarly atmosphere. The figures are rendered with simple and expressive lines, while the buildings are depicted in detail. The four academies span Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Hainan, covering a wide geographic range. The stamps feature oval-shaped perforations in the middle, adding to their recognizability. The miniature sheet features patterns from the Six Classics on the border, further emphasizing the theme of traditional culture.

This stamp set is the concluding issue of the ancient academy series, forming a complete set with the 1998-10 "Ancient Academies (I)" issue. It covers themes of traditional education, Confucian culture, and regional historical heritage, and is available in multiple formats including stamp set, large sheet, and miniature sheet. It is often collected together with stamps of the White Deer Grotto, Yuelu, Yingtian, and Songyang academies, making it an important issue for thematic collections on traditional culture and ancient education.