Scott No: -
Serial number: 2019-17
Values in set: 6
Date of issue: August 6, 2019
Denomination: 640 fen
Designer: Ni Chuanjing
Size of stamps: 30 * 40 mm
Perforation: 13.5 * 13
Sheet composition: 16
(Value 1,2 in Sheet I;
Value 3, 4 in Sheet II;
Value 5, 6 in Sheet III;)
Sheet Size: 150 * 210 mm
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 6 special stamps themed "Ancient Chinese Myths (II)" on August 6, 2019. The stamps bear the following design titles: Suiren Obtaining Fire, Fuxi Drawing the Eight Trigrams, Shennong Tasting Hundreds of Herbs, Leizu Initiating Sericulture, Cangjie Creating Chinese Characters, and Yu the Great Controlling the Floods. The total face value of the complete stamp set is 6.40 yuan.

Myths are stories created by ancient ancestors to express their understanding and imagination of natural and cultural phenomena. Chinese myths are treasures in the world's mythological treasury. Many mythological figures, such as Yu the Great, Shennong, Fuxi, and Nüwa, are well-known among the people and have been passed down from generation to generation.

Chinese myths have distinct characteristics. They not only reflect the relationship between ancient ancestors and nature and present the magnificent artistic imagination of the ancients about all things in heaven and earth, but also are deeply influenced by Confucian civilization and have undergone moralized and historicized transformations. Influenced by this, Chinese myths also contain a strong humanistic spirit. For example, Nüwa Mending the Sky and Yu the Great Controlling the Floods embody the sense of concern for the people; Cangjie Creating Chinese Characters and Fuxi Drawing the Eight Trigrams reflect the process of ancient ancestors moving away from ignorance and towards civilization; Shennong Tasting Hundreds of Herbs and Suiren Obtaining Fire demonstrate people's efforts to surpass the limitations of nature and take the initiative to control their own destiny.

This set of stamps adopts the illustration style. The lines are exquisite and detailed, and the colors are brilliant and full of dynamism. The traditional Eastern visual elements in the images complement the Western expressive techniques, which not only creates a strong visual impact but also is full of rich Eastern charm.

The stamps are printed using high-precision photogravure. Combining the high saturation of photogravure inks, full-color fluorescent inks are used for the first time. Under ultraviolet light, the yellow ink emits green fluorescence, the red ink emits red fluorescence, and the blue ink emits blue fluorescence, presenting a colorful and dreamlike effect. The lines on the stamp patterns are printed with color-changing pearlescent ink; as the angle of the stamp changes, these lines become smooth and flexible. In addition, the face value and border patterns of the stamps are printed using the extra-bright silver printing process. The design and printing of this set of stamps demonstrate the integration of Chinese stamps in promoting tradition and pursuing innovative development.

This set of stamps is designed by Ni Chuanjing, a young illustrator, and printed by Beijing Stamp Factory.