Scott No: -
Serial number: 2022-1
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: January 5, 2022
Denomination: 240 fen
Designer: Feng Dazhong
Size of stamps: 36 * 36 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition:
16 for Sheet I;
6 for Sheet II
Size of sheet:
168 * 196 mm for Sheet I;
128 * 180 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: Offset and Engraving
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 2 special stamps themed "Year of the Tiger (Renyin Year)" on January 5, 2022. The designs of the stamps are titled "Prosperous Nation" and "Auspicious Tiger" respectively, with a total face value of 2.40 yuan for the full set. The planned circulation is 40.4 million pieces for the first stamp, 38.8 million pieces for the second stamp, 2.3 million sheets for the 版式 II (sheetlet), and 4.8 million booklets.

2022 is the Renyin Year in the Chinese lunar calendar, which is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac. The tiger, known as the "King of Beasts", is a symbol of courage and strength. In ancient China, there were tiger tallys used to dispatch troops, and expressions such as "tiger generals", "valiant soldiers", "firm steps" and "dominant posture" all carry connotations of might and glory. Among the people, the tiger is regarded as an auspicious beast that wards off evil and protects peace. From the custom of painting tigers on doors to the cute cloth tigers, the rich and colorful tiger culture has been integrated into people's living habits. The cultural complex of revering and loving tigers embodies the Chinese people's spirit of striving for progress and their aspiration for auspiciousness and peace.

The "Year of the Tiger (Renyin Year)" special stamps are the seventh set in the fourth series of China's zodiac stamps, created by the famous painter Mr. Feng Dazhong. Feng Dazhong is a national first-class artist and has enjoyed the special government allowance of the State Council since 1992. He is particularly renowned worldwide for his tiger paintings, and also excels in painting landscapes and flowers. He can freely create both fine and freehand brushwork in large-scale paintings. He has served as the president of the Chinese Fine Brushwork Painting Society, the deputy director of the Chinese Painting Art Committee of the China Artists Association, the vice president of the Chinese Painting Society, a council member of the China Artists Association, a member of the Chinese Writers Association, and the president of the Liaoning Senior Artists Association.

The tiger images on the "Year of the Tiger (Renyin Year)" special stamps are based on "reality", capturing the inherent nature of tigers and interpreting the beauty of tigers in detail. The stamps inherit the design concept of the fourth series of zodiac stamps, interpreting the concepts of "the nation" and "the family". The first stamp "Prosperous Nation" depicts a majestic tiger ascending a mountain, standing tall and looking into the distance with lofty aspirations, conveying the meaning of the country's thriving development and ambitious aspirations. The second stamp "Auspicious Tiger" portrays a warm scene of a gentle tiger mother with two tiger cubs, implying prosperity of descendants and a happy family.

This set of stamps is printed using a combination of offset printing and engraving, engraved by Yuan Yishan and Liu Minghui, and produced by Beijing Stamp Factory Co., Ltd.

The booklet of this set of stamps is designed by Wang Huming. The design of the booklet is ingenious: by extending the vivid zodiac tiger images that integrate form and spirit, it vividly presents the themes of "Prosperous Nation" and "Auspicious Tiger", and achieves "five firsts": it is the first time to display the overprinting of zodiac stamps, the first time to form the inner pages of the stamp booklet with block of four stamps, the first time to adopt a left-right folding format, the first time to add fluorescent coding on the inner page stamps, and the first time to use tactile varnishing technology.