Scott No: -
Serial number: 2013-21
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: September 7, 2013
Denomination: 440 fen
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 12 (Value 1, 2 for Sheet I; Value 3, 4 for Sheet II)
Sheet size: 224 * 152 mm
Printing process: Offset and Engraving
Printing House: Henan Postage Stamp Printing Works

On September 7, 2013, China Post officially issued the special stamp set "Yuyuan Garden" with catalog number 2013-21. The set consists of four stamps. This is the second special stamp set featuring a famous Shanghai landmark, following the "Shanghai Pudong" stamp issue in 1996. It is also the first stamp set in Shanghai to feature a garden theme, filling a gap in the city's garden-themed stamp collection.

Yuyuan Garden, located adjacent to the City God Temple in Huangpu District, Shanghai, was first built in 1559 (the 38th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty) by Pan Yunduan, a Sichuan official of the Ming Dynasty, as a place for his father to enjoy his retirement. It has a history of over 460 years. Covering an area of about 30 mu (approx. 2 hectares), the garden features piled rocks, built ponds, and elegant pavilions and halls. It has long been praised as "the most exquisite garden south of the Yangtze." In 1982, it was designated as a key national cultural heritage site by the State Council. It is a treasure of classical Jiangnan garden art and an important window for showcasing Shanghai-style (Haipai) culture to the world. By issuing this stamp set as a "national calling card," China Post aims to promote and protect this precious historical and cultural heritage, capturing the timeless elegance of Jiangnan gardens within a compact space.

The stamp set comprises four stamps with a total face value of 4.40 yuan. The stamps were designed by the painter Zhang Anpu, with the sheet border design by the renowned stamp designer Wang Huming. The engraving was done by Liu Yimin, Bai Jin, Ma Rong, and Yin Hairong. The stamps were printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory using a combination of offset and engraving (intaglio) techniques.

The four stamps are:

"Mid-Lake Pavilion and Nine-Bend Bridge," face value 0.80 yuan

"The Great Rockery," face value 1.20 yuan

"Juan Yu Lou (Curled Rain Pavilion)," face value 1.20 yuan

"Jade Exquisite Rock," face value 1.20 yuan

Each stamp measures 50×30 mm, with a perforation gauge of 13 degrees. Each sheet contains 12 stamps (six each of the first and second designs, and six each of the third and fourth designs), with a sheet size of 182×182 mm. Anti-counterfeiting measures include anti-counterfeiting paper, anti-counterfeiting ink, shaped perforations, and fluorescent spray codes.

The stamp design features a significant breakthrough in layout. The stamps are arranged in a left-right divided format, breaking away from the traditional top-bottom arrangement: the first and second stamps are on one sheet, and the third and fourth on another. Each sheet includes a horizontal bridge section depicting street scenes of the Yuyuan Garden shopping area, closely linked to the City God Temple folk culture. These scenes include local shops selling dried goods, snacks, and general merchandise, expanding the cultural scope of the stamps from the garden itself to the surrounding urban life, presenting a richer and more three-dimensional Shanghai-style culture. This design allows collectors to appreciate both the garden's beauty and the vibrant atmosphere of old Shanghai's streets.

All four stamps employ a distinctive pen-and-watercolor technique, rendered in light ink washes. The colors are full, the lines lively, yet the overall effect is simple, elegant, and refined, conveying a sense of calm within liveliness. The technique effectively captures the delicate and intricate layout of Yuyuan Garden and its rich Shanghai flavor.

First stamp, "Mid-Lake Pavilion and Nine-Bend Bridge": Depicts the classic scene of the Mid-Lake Pavilion connected to the Nine-Bend Bridge. The Mid-Lake Pavilion is a hexagonal, pavilion-style ancient tea house built in a lotus pond, making it the oldest surviving tea house in Shanghai, rich in traditional Chinese character. The Nine-Bend Bridge, 18 meters long and 2 meters wide, is constructed of granite and other stones, spanning a fish-releasing pond. The bridge's zigzagging path and exquisite carvings create beautiful scenes, especially on clear days when the bridge resembles a jade belt floating on water. The stamp captures the ethereal beauty of this scene.

Second stamp, "The Great Rockery": Features the most iconic Huangshi rockery in Yuyuan Garden. This rockery, designed and built by the renowned Ming Dynasty rock-stacking master Zhang Nanyang, is his only surviving work and is acclaimed as the "crown of rockeries south of the Yangtze." Built from thousands of tons of yellow stone from Wukang, Zhejiang, it rises over ten meters in height, appearing as a series of layered peaks. The design includes two pavilions—one at the foot for viewing the garden's scenery and one at the top for gazing at the Huangpu River. Though man-made, its grandeur rivals that of natural mountains, making it a masterpiece of rock arrangement in Jiangnan gardens.

Third stamp, "Juan Yu Lou (Curled Rain Pavilion): Depicts the Juan Yu Lou, built in 1866 during the Qing Dynasty. Its lower level is known as Yangshan Hall, and the upper level as Juan Yu Lou. Situated behind the Sansui Hall, it faces the Great Rockery across the pond. The name is inspired by a line from Wang Bo's "Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion" in the Tang Dynasty. The pavilion, built beside the pond, allows visitors to rest, sip tea, admire the fish, and enjoy the distant views. The stamp uses subtle ink-wash tones to convey the cultural atmosphere of this pavilion, harmoniously integrated with the surrounding landscape.

Fourth stamp, "Jade Exquisite Rock": Centers on the renowned Jade Exquisite Rock, a prized treasure of Yuyuan Garden. This rock, over a thousand years old, is famous for its unique shape and translucent quality, making it one of the garden's most legendary features. The stamp captures the rock's exquisite detail and its harmonious reflection in the surrounding garden.

Over its 460-year history, Yuyuan Garden has suffered repeated damage and undergone significant transformations. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Shanghai municipal government invested substantial funds in its large-scale restoration, bringing it back to its former glory. Today, Yuyuan Garden is not only a renowned tourist destination but also a significant carrier of Shanghai-style culture. Together with the adjacent City God Temple and Yuyuan Garden shopping area, it forms one of the most representative historical and cultural blocks in Shanghai's old city.

As Shanghai's first garden-themed special stamp set, it faithfully reproduces the exquisite layout and elegant charm of Yuyuan Garden using the offset-engraving printing technique. The innovative left-right sheet layout expands the cultural scope of the stamps, integrating garden scenery with urban life. The designer, Zhang Anpu, a native of Shanghai, has infused his deep connection to Shanghai-style culture into every line and color, making this stamp set both a cultural record of Yuyuan Garden's beauty and a collectible work of art.