Scott No: -
Serial number: 2023-10
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: June 18, 2023
Denomination: 240 fen
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of stamps: 55 * 42 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 12
Size of sheet: 203 * 200 mm
Size of S/S:
190 * 85 mm for S/S
138 * 50 mm for S/S stamp
Perforation of S/S: 13
Printing process: Offset and Engraving
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post scheduled the issuance of a set of special stamps themed The Peddler on June 18, 2023. The set includes 2 stamps and 1 souvenir sheet. The design theme of both stamps is The Peddler (Detail), while the design theme of the souvenir sheet is The Peddler (full image). The total face value of the complete stamp set is 8.40 yuan. The planned circulation is 7.7 million sets of the standard stamp set and 5.95 million pieces of the souvenir sheet; in addition, non-perforated stamps of The Peddler (made of rice paper) are also issued, with a planned circulation of 960,000 sets.

The Peddler is a colored silk painting, measuring 25.5 cm in height and 70.4 cm in width. Painted by Li Song of the Song Dynasty, it is currently collected in the Palace Museum. As a genre painting brimming with joy among those of all dynasties, this artwork depicts a scene where a traveling peddler, shaking a snake-skin drum, leans forward with a smile to greet the approaching women and children. The peddler’s load is filled with various items—pots, bowls, plates, children’s toys, fruits, pastries, and more. In the distance, women and children are hurrying toward the peddler’s load. With a clear distinction between the main and secondary subjects that echo each other, a beautiful picture of auspiciousness, joy, prosperity, and people’s well-being unfolds slowly, presenting the prosperity and affluence of the urban life during the Southern Song Dynasty. The work vividly portrays the expressions and moods of the figures: the brushstrokes are smooth yet forceful, rich in variations amid twists, turns, and pauses; the depiction of objects uses silk-like brushstrokes that are flexible and smooth, demonstrating the painter’s profound artistic skills. By taking the life of working people as an aesthetic subject for depiction, this work holds important significance in the history of the development of ancient Chinese fine arts.

The two stamps respectively feature two wonderful details of The Peddler, focusing on highlighting the images of the peddler, peasant women, children, and a small dog, with an ancient and elegant style. The souvenir sheet adopts the traditional scroll format of Chinese painting to fully display the entire scene of the ancient painting. Combined with a brief introduction to the ancient work, the overall composition presents a contrast between emptiness and solidity, with a well-proportioned arrangement of dense and sparse elements. The engraving lines are vivid and delicate, the figures are depicted with lifelike details, and the ultra-high-precision engraving and plate-making technology perfectly restores the charm and appearance of the ancient painting. This set of stamps was designed by Wang Huming, engraved by Yuan Yishan and Li Hao, and printed using the offset-engraving combination printing technique by Beijing Stamp Printing Co., Ltd.