Scott No: -
Serial number: 2012-19
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: August 1, 2012
Denomination: 480 fen
Designer: Chen Jingyi, Hui Bin, Li Qun
Size of stamps: 30 * 55 mm
Perforation: 13.5 * 13
Sheet composition:
12 for Sheet I;
8 for Sheet II (2 Sets)
210 * 146 mm for Sheet I;
200 * 146 mm for Sheet II
Denomination of S/S: 600 fen
Size of S/S: 150 * 85 mm
Size of S/S Stamp: 39 * 66 mm
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

On August 1, 2012, the special stamp set "The Silk Road" (catalog number 2012-19) was officially issued. This is the first special stamp set issued by China Post focusing on the overland Silk Road, showcasing the great passage of ancient economic and cultural exchange between East and West. The set consists of four stamps, each with a face value of 1.20 yuan, and one souvenir sheet with a face value of 6 yuan, for a total face value of 10.80 yuan. The stamps were jointly designed by Chen Jingyi, Hui Bin, and Li Qun, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process. Each stamp measures 30 mm × 55 mm, and the souvenir sheet measures 150 mm × 85 mm. The stamps incorporate anti-counterfeiting paper, anti-counterfeiting ink, shaped perforations, and fluorescent spray codes. The stamps were issued in two sheet formats: one with 12 stamps and one with 8 stamps (2 sets). This is a classic cultural-themed stamp set that reflects the history of East-West exchange.

The stamp set follows the Silk Road route from east to west, selecting representative landmarks and artifacts, stretching from the starting point in central China to the Western Regions. It connects key Silk Road cities such as Chang'an, the Hexi Corridor, Loulan, and Kucha. The souvenir sheet expands on the theme of civilizational exchange, recreating the development of the overland Silk Road and highlighting its historical significance as a conduit for trade and culture.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background:

1. Millennium Imperial Capital

Image: In the distance, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and White Horse Temple; in the foreground, a Tang Dynasty tri-colored pottery camel figurine with a foreign merchant; the background features a Silk Road route map.

History: Chang'an (Xi'an) and Luoyang were the eastern starting points of the Silk Road. In the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian set out from Chang'an on his mission to the Western Regions, initiating Silk Road trade. During the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an became a world-class international metropolis, attracting merchants from many countries.

Significance: The eastern starting point of the Silk Road and the point of origin for the outward spread of Central Plains civilization.

2. Desert Fortresses

Image: In the distance, Yumen Pass and the Xumishan Grottoes; in the foreground, the Bronze Galloping Horse (Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow).

History: Yumen Pass and Yang Pass were the gateways from the Han Dynasty to the Western Regions; the Hexi Corridor was the essential route of the Silk Road.

Significance: The strategic throat connecting central China to the Western Regions and a key pass on the Silk Road through the desert.

3. Mysterious Lost Kingdom

Image: In the distance, the ruins of the ancient city of Loulan; in the foreground, a Persian gold-and-silver ewer.

History: The ancient kingdom of Loulan, located on the shores of Lop Nur, was an important city-state in the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty and a key stop on the central Silk Road route. The gilded silver ewer is a foreign object, testifying to the exchange of goods between East and West.

Significance: A representation of Western Regions civilization and direct material evidence of ancient Sino-foreign trade.

4. Western Regions Paradise

Image: In the distance, the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves and a beacon tower site; in the foreground, a jade ornament of a figure riding a horse.

History: Kucha (in present-day Kuqa, Xinjiang) was a cultural center of the Western Regions. The Kizil Caves are one of the earliest major Buddhist cave complexes in China.

Significance: The western endpoint of the Silk Road in the Western Regions, a place where multiple religions and arts converged.

5. Souvenir Sheet: Exchange

Image: Features the Dunhuang mural "Zhang Qian's Mission to the Western Regions" and an image of a dancer playing the pipa behind her back, with the Nine-Story Pagoda of the Mogao Caves in the background.

Symbolism: Represents the Silk Road breaking through isolation and achieving lasting exchange in economy, art, and religion between central China, the Western Regions, and the East and West.

Artistic and Design Features:

Narrative Layout: The four stamps form a continuous route, with connecting background images that visually create a civilization corridor from east to west.

Compositional Layers: The distant historical sites, foreground artifacts, and underlying silk patterns form three layers that echo each other.

Color Palette: The overall design uses warm earth tones, such as desert yellow and ochre, evoking the vast, distant atmosphere of the Western Regions.

Design Concept: The artifacts, many of which are remnants of Silk Road trade, visually embody cultural exchange and provide strong historical evidence.

This stamp set is the first overland Silk Road-themed special stamp set in New China, carrying significant historical weight. Its clear route and rich imagery and textual materials make it suitable for thematic collections on ancient transportation, Sino-foreign cultural exchange, and Western Regions history. Issued as a complete set of stamps and a souvenir sheet, it can be paired with later Belt and Road-themed stamps, offering high thematic and historical value for collectors.