The grand first-day-of-issue ceremony for special stamps entitled Yi-Si Year was held in the National Communication Center for Science and Technology on January 5.

The official issue of the stamps kicked off the Spring Festival celebrations of the Year of the Snake. Meanwhile, the joint miniature sheet composed of the stamps issued by China Post, Hongkong Post and Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau on the same zodiac theme was put on sale on the same day.

The special stamps Yi-Si Year consist of a set of two stamps, with their designs respectively named Snake Presents Bumper Harvest and Happiness Embraces All Blessings. Inspired by Dunhuang murals and traditional Chinese folklore, this set of stamps ingeniously combines the image of snakes with auspicious meanings, reflecting not only the unique charm of zodiac culture but also the simple and flexible folk wisdom. The first design Snake Presents Bumper Harvest has distilled and refined the vibrant imagery of the coiling snake in traditional Chinese culture and added festive decorations to create a new year atmosphere. The golden snake, coiling and holding an ear of golden wheat in its mouth, symbolizes the beautiful prospect of full granaries and abundant food and clothing. The golden snake, together with the golden wheat ear, depicts a picture of a golden and affluent harvest season, promising a year of good weather for crops and abundant harvests as well as a great era when people are living harmoniously in a prosperous and peaceful nation. The second design Happiness Embraces All Blessings has artistically created the Chinese character “福” (meaning happiness) in cursive writing style with three snakes, making the picture concise, free and smooth. The three snakes, two big and one small, with love surrounding them and affection in their eyes, vividly present the warm scene of a happy family, which implies harmonious coexistence and abounding blessings, and embodies people’s infinite pursuit and sincere wishes for a better life.

The set of stamps is printed by Beijing Stamp Printing House Company Limited with offset intaglio technology. The denomination of the whole set is 2.40 yuan. The planned circulation is 26.80 million sets, 1.62 million sheets for layout 2, and 3.87 million stamp booklets.

Starting from January 5, the set of stamps is to be available at designated postal outlets nationwide, online mall of China Philately (https://jiyou.11185.cn), the mobile app of China Post, the WeChat Mall for philatelic products in the official WeChat account of China Post Group and the WeChat mini program of China Post Group.