Scott No: -
Serial number: 2012-25
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: September 13, 2012
Denomination: 240 fen
Designer: Chen Jingyi, Fang Jun
Size of stamps: 30 * 50 mm
Perforation: 13.5
Sheet composition: 12
Size of sheet: 161 * 200 mm
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

On September 13, 2012, the special stamp set "Liye Qin Slips" (catalog number 2012-25) was officially issued. Designed to introduce the major archaeological discovery of the Liye Qin slips to the public, the set reproduces the original county-level official archives of the Qin Dynasty, promoting China's long history and the culture of bamboo and wooden slips. The set consists of two stamps, each with a face value of 1.20 yuan, for a total face value of 2.40 yuan. The stamps were designed by Chen Jingyi and Fang Jun, with the sheet border design by Chen Jingyi. They were printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process. Each stamp measures 30 mm × 50 mm, with a perforation gauge of 13.5 degrees. The sheet contains 12 stamps, with the two designs printed continuously. Anti-counterfeiting features include anti-counterfeiting paper, anti-counterfeiting ink, shaped perforations, and fluorescent spray codes. The stamp set is notable for its fine printing quality and has received an international award for best photogravure printing.

The stamp set features two highly representative wooden slip artifacts from the Liye Qin slips, reflecting the mathematical achievements and the calendar system of the Qin Dynasty. Unearthed from the ancient city of Liye in Xiangxi, Hunan, the Liye Qin slips are official documents from the Qianling County office of Dongting Commandery during the Qin Dynasty. The two stamps directly present the grassroots society, script, and technological level of the Qin Dynasty, demonstrating the effective implementation of central government policies in the southwestern border region after the unification of China, and providing evidence for the pluralistic yet unified development of Chinese civilization.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background:

1. Multiplication Table

Image: A well-preserved wooden slip with the multiplication table.

History: Unearthed from a well at the Liye ancient city site in 2002, this slip contains a complete multiplication table, making it the earliest known physical example of a multiplication table in China.

Significance: This discovery has revised our understanding of the history of mathematics, proving that multiplication tables were already widely used among the common people as early as the Qin Dynasty, providing valuable evidence of mathematical development during the pre-Qin and Qin-Han periods.

2. Qin Calendar

Image: A wooden slip with the Qin Dynasty calendar, recording dates and official administrative correspondence.

History: This slip is an official document submitted by Qianling County to higher authorities, covering the period from the First Emperor of Qin to the Second Emperor of Qin, and containing calendar and administrative records.

Significance: This slip provides direct insight into the official calendar system of the Qin Dynasty and the operational model of county-level administration, offering primary source material for reconstructing the Qin Dynasty's timekeeping system and local administrative processes.

Artistic and Design Features:

Composition: The stamps faithfully reproduce the original wood grain and ancient clerical script of the Qin slips, with a faint background pattern of an ancient map of the Dongting Commandery area in western Hunan.

Color Palette: The overall design uses a yellowish-brown antique color scheme, effectively capturing the ancient texture of bamboo and wooden slips after millennia.

Layout: The two stamps are printed horizontally in a continuous format, creating a visually unified and coherent presentation that mirrors the grouped filing system of the slips.

Script Presentation: The stamps preserve the Qin clerical script, clearly showing the transitional phase of Chinese characters from seal script to clerical script, offering both archaeological and calligraphic value.

The Liye Qin slips have been praised as "In the north, there are the Terracotta Warriors; in the south, there are the Liye Qin slips." This stamp set is the first to feature the Liye Qin slips as a national "calling card." It is suitable for thematic collections on ancient artifacts, bamboo and wooden slips, Qin Dynasty history, ancient mathematics and calendars, as well as regional collections on Hunan. With its internationally recognized printing quality, this set holds significant historical and artistic collectible value.