Scott No: -
Serial number: 2019-31
Values in set: 6
Date of issue: November 8, 2019
Denomination: 720 fen
Designer: Liu Jingui, Wang Huming
Size of stamps: Long arc 30.76 mm, straight edge 48 mm (fanshaped)
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 12
Sheet Size: 196 * 185 mm
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 6 special stamps themed "The 24 Solar Terms (IV)" on November 8, 2019, with a total face value of 7.20 yuan for the full set. Additionally, a special-format souvenir sheet of "The 24 Solar Terms" is specially produced, priced at 43.20 yuan.

The 24 Solar Terms are 24 seasonal positions and dates divided by the ancient Chinese according to the sun's position on the ecliptic in a year, with each term lasting approximately 15 days. They form a knowledge system and social practice for the Chinese people to understand astronomical phenomena, phenology, seasons, and the laws of natural changes, and are an important part of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation. In 2016, the 24 Solar Terms were included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This set is the fourth group of the "24 Solar Terms" series stamps launched in 2015, depicting the six solar terms of winter. After the vibrant spring with growing grass and warbling orioles, pink peach blossoms and green willows; the sunny summer with dense shade; and the refreshing autumn with golden breezes and fruitful harvests, comes the winter of flying snow, freezing frost, and piercing cold winds. The six solar terms are: Start of Winter, Minor Snow, Major Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold, and Major Cold.

The first stamp, Start of Winter, depicts farmers storing Chinese cabbages in granaries; the second stamp, Minor Snow, shows people pruning fruit tree branches; the third stamp, Major Snow, presents a scene of snow fluttering across thousands of miles and children playing to build snowmen; the fourth stamp, Winter Solstice, portrays a child drawing the "Nine-Nine Cold Relief Chart" at home; the fifth stamp, Minor Cold, features a modern ice-play scene where children skate and play on an ice rink; the sixth stamp, Major Cold, illustrates people in southern regions admiring plum blossoms on the day of Major Cold.

The overall planning of the special-format souvenir sheet of "The 24 Solar Terms" was completed when the 2015 "24 Solar Terms" stamps were launched. It arranges the four sets of 24 stamps into a circle, not only expressing the concept that the Earth is round, the four seasons cycle endlessly, and vitality flows continuously, but also conveying the traditional Chinese cultural notions of completeness and harmony.

The border decoration of the souvenir sheet incorporates elements from ancient Chinese mathematical and astronomical works, including the sun, moon, stars, counting chips, ancient diagrams depicting the relationship between heaven and earth, the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, and ancient star charts. These elements illustrate how ancient Chinese people determined the 24 Solar Terms by observing nature to engage in agricultural production and daily life. The circle at the center of the souvenir sheet displays the corresponding relationships between Tai Chi, the Twelve Earthly Branches, ecliptic degrees, and the 24 Solar Terms, further clarifying the profoundness and interconnection of traditional Chinese culture, as well as expressing the Chinese nation's long-standing emphasis on the relationship between humans and nature and the pursuit of harmony between heaven and humanity.

This set of stamps is designed by Liu Jingui and Wang Huming, printed by Beijing Stamp Factory using the photogravure printing process, while the special-format souvenir sheet adopts the combined offset and intaglio printing process.