Scott No: -
Serial number: 2022-10
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: May 28th, 2022
Denomination: 400 fen
Designer: Xu Li
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 12 (Value 1, 2 in Sheet 1; Value 3, 4 in Sheet 2)
Size of sheet: 174 * 160 mm
Size of S/S: 130 * 76 mm
Size of S/S stamp: 92 * 54 mm
S/S Perforation: 13
Printing process: Stamp: Offset; S/S: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 4 special stamps and 1 souvenir sheet themed "Dongting Lake" on May 28, 2022. The stamps are titled "Green Layers of Junshan Mountain", "Crane Shadows Over Lingyun Pagoda", "Ancient Rice Fields at Chengtou Mountain" and "Connecting Rivers to the Sea" respectively, while the souvenir sheet is named "The World-Famous Waters of Dongting". The total face value of the stamp set is 10 yuan. The planned circulation is 6.6 million sets for the stamps and 5.9 million pieces for the souvenir sheet.

Known as "Yunmengze" in ancient times, Dongting Lake is located in northern Hunan Province, south of the Jingjiang section in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It is China’s third-largest lake, with a surface area second only to Qinghai Lake and Poyang Lake, and also China’s second-largest freshwater lake. Once known as the "800-li Dongting Lake" (a "li" is a traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately 0.5 kilometers), it has now been divided into multiple lakes due to lake reclamation in modern times and natural sedimentation. These include East Dongting Lake, West Dongting Lake, South Dongting Lake and Datong Lake. East Dongting Lake is an important habitat for migratory birds and a national nature reserve. Junshan Mountain stands uniquely in the lake, and the famous Yueyang Tower, a national scenic spot, is located on the lake’s east bank.

The vast Dongting Lake, with its boundless blue waves, stretches in a winding manner, dotted with abrupt mountains. Its most distinctive feature is that there are lakes beyond lakes and mountains within the lake. The scene is adorned with fishing boats dotting the water, green reed leaves swaying, the sky merging with the water, and gulls and herons soaring. Accompanied by the thousand-year-old Yueyang Tower, the lake carries a lasting charm. Scholars and poets throughout history have left numerous odes to Dongting Lake and Yueyang Tower, such as the description: "It embraces distant mountains and swallows the Yangtze River; its waters flow in a mighty, endless expanse, presenting a magnificent and ever-changing scenery." Dongting Lake is also renowned as a "land of fish and rice", with its Chinese sturgeon, silver fish, Junshan tea and Hunan lotus gaining fame both at home and abroad.

This stamp set is designed by Xu Li, the current Vice-Chairman of the China Artists Association. Using oil painting techniques, the stamps depict representative landscapes of Dongting Lake. The first stamp, "Green Layers of Junshan Mountain", showcases the elegant beauty of Junshan Island, creating the artistic conception described in the poem: "Looking afar at the green mountains and waters of Dongting, it resembles a green snail in a silver plate." The second stamp, "Crane Shadows Over Lingyun Pagoda", features scenic wetland views including Lingyun Pagoda, aquatic plants and flying birds, demonstrating the beautiful ecological landscape of Dongting Lake. The third stamp, "Ancient Rice Fields at Chengtou Mountain", highlights the Chengtou Mountain Ruins, which house the world’s earliest and best-preserved ancient rice paddy ruins discovered so far, reflecting the long prehistoric civilization of the Dongting Lake area. The fourth stamp, "Connecting Rivers to the Sea", portrays the magnificent scene of the Sanjiangkou – where Dongting Lake flows into the Yangtze River – with its broad waters and numerous ships sailing. The souvenir sheet, "The World-Famous Waters of Dongting", presents a wide-angle view of Dongting Lake, combining Yueyang Tower, the lake surface, green trees and rocks, highlighting the profound cultural heritage and beautiful natural scenery of Dongting Lake.

The stamp set is printed by Beijing Stamp Factory Co., Ltd. The stamps adopt offset printing technology, featuring saturated and bright colors overall, supplemented by colorless white fluorescent ink. Under a purple light, the lake water in the designs appears clearer and more radiant. The souvenir sheet uses gravure printing, resulting in rich layers and vivid colors on the surface. Pearl blue spot color printing enhances the texture and anti-counterfeiting effect, and it is also supplemented by colorless fluorescent ink. The pearl blue color emits white fluorescence, while the red color emits red fluorescence, setting off the charm of the water surface and buildings in the designs.