Scott No: -
Serial number: 2013-26
Values in set: 1
Date of issue: October 11, 2013
Denomination: 120 fen
Designer: He Jie
Size of stamps: 33 * 33 mm
Perforation: 13.5 * 13
Sheet composition: 10
Sheet size: 190 * 122 mm
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

On October 11, 2013, China Post officially issued the commemorative stamp for the "10th China Art Festival" with catalog number 2013-26. The set consists of one stamp with a face value of 1.20 yuan. The issue date coincided with the grand opening of the 10th China Art Festival at the Shandong Provincial Capital Cultural and Art Center Grand Theatre in Jinan, Shandong. The first-day issuance ceremony was held in Jinan on the same day, endowing the stamp with a dual commemorative significance as a "grand art gathering" and a "national calling card."

The China Art Festival is the highest-level, largest-scale, and most influential national cultural and artistic event in China. Since its inaugural edition at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium in 1987, each festival has attracted nationwide attention. Following the issuance of the stamp for the first China Art Festival in 1987, this stamp marks the first commemorative stamp for the China Art Festival in over two decades, filling a long-standing gap and holding a unique significance in the history of Chinese stamp issuance.

The stamp set consists of one stamp with a face value of 1.20 yuan. It was designed by Professor He Jie from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. Materials were provided by the Shandong Provincial Preparatory Committee for the 10th China Art Festival, and the stamp was printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using offset printing.

The main design of the stamp features a simplified white version of the central motif of the 10th China Art Festival emblem, "Xianghe" (Harmony). At its core is the festival mascot, "Phoenix Dance of the Nine Directions," which is based on the artistic phoenix image from the festival emblem. The phoenix is depicted with dynamic, soaring wings, surrounded by various artistic figures in dancing poses with flowing sleeves, fully conveying the festive, joyful, and auspicious atmosphere of this grand national art event.

The overall design incorporates the regional cultural elements of Shandong, blending the province's rich historical culture with the unique characteristics of the 10th Art Festival. The blue tones evoke the fusion of Mount Tai's jade-like quality and Jinan's spring water, reflecting both the broad and profound cultural heritage of Shandong and the unique charm of Jinan, the "City of Springs." Through dynamic artistic forms and the soaring phoenix, the stamp captures the festival's theme of "A Grand Gathering of Arts, A Festival for the People," presenting the distinctive charm of Shandong—"Azure Seas and Green Mountains, Phoenix Dancing in the East."

The mascot "Phoenix Dance of the Nine Directions," with its body patterns and colors derived from the festival emblem, not only extends the visual identity of the emblem but also symbolizes the richness and diversity of cultural life, perfectly complementing the main design of the stamp.