2025-07, Culture Relics along the Silk Road (3)《丝绸之路文物（三）》

Stamp Title: Culture Relics along the Silk Road (3)
Serial number: 2025-7
Values in set: 4
(4-1), Brocade Arm Guard with Chinese Characters ‘Wu Xing Chu Dong Fang Li Zhong Guo’, Han Dynasty, 120 fen, 40 * 30 mm
(4-2), Sliver Tray Portraying a Deity, Southern and Northern Dynasties, 120 fen, 40 * 30 mm
(4-3), Glass Bowl with Raised Circles, Northern Zhou Dynasty, 120 fen, 40 * 30 mm
(4-4), Mural Featuring a Hu Tribesman Leading a Camel Loaded with Silk, Tang Dynasty, 120 fen, 40 * 30 mm
Date of issue: May 18th, 2025
Denomination: 480 fen
Designer: Ma Lihang
Size of stamps: 40 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 12
Size of sheet: 150 * 170 mm
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Henan Provincial Post & Telecommunications Technology Co., Ltd

Background:
China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 4 special stamps themed “Cultural Relics of the Silk Road (III)” on May 18, 2025. The stamps are titled: Han Dynasty: Silk Armguard with the Inscription “Five Stars Rise in the East, Benefiting China”, Northern and Southern Dynasties: Silver Plate with Divine Figure Patterns, Northern Zhou Dynasty: Convex-Nailed Glass Bowl, and Tang Dynasty: Mural Painting of a Foreign Merchant Leading a Camel Loaded with Silk. The total face value of the complete set is 4.80 yuan, with a planned issuance quantity of 5.9 million sets.

The ancient Silk Road stretched for thousands of miles and endured for millennia, embodying the Silk Road spirit centered on peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, and mutual benefit. This is a precious legacy of human civilization. This set of stamps showcases 4 rare cultural relics along the overland Silk Road from west to east.

1. Han Dynasty: Silk Armguard with the Inscription “Five Stars Rise in the East, Benefiting China”

Unearthed from the Niya Ruins, a key transportation hub on the southern route of the Silk Road, this armguard is now collected by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum. It was used as a protective gear (archery armguard) during the Han Dynasty. The silk fabric of the armguard is brightly colored, with auspicious cloud patterns interspersed with orderly woven motifs of mythical beasts such as phoenixes, luan birds, unicorns, and white tigers. Between two circular decorative bands, the auspicious small seal script inscription “Five Stars Rise in the East, Benefiting China” is woven, expressing prayers for good fortune. The stamp conveys the texture of ancient silk through a special tactile process. As an excellent reflection of the exquisite silk-making craftsmanship of the Han Dynasty, this armguard witnesses the cultural exchange and integration between the East and the West on the Silk Road.

2. Northern and Southern Dynasties: Silver Plate with Divine Figure Patterns

Unearthed in Beitan, Jingyuan County, Gansu Province, and preserved in the Gansu Provincial Museum, this silver plate is an important Roman cultural relic discovered on the Chinese Silk Road. Research shows it was introduced to China between the 4th and 5th centuries AD. The inner wall of the plate is fully decorated with relief patterns arranged in three concentric circles. The outer circle features interlocking grape and scroll patterns, with small animals such as birds and bees perching among them. The middle circle displays relief portraits of the Twelve Olympian Gods of ancient Greece, each accompanied by an animal on the left. At the center stands a high-relief male figure sitting against a leopard. The stamp adopts a combination of matte sandblasting and 3D embossing techniques to present the detailed features and textural quality of the silver plate. Discovered at a Yellow River ferry on the Gansu section of the Silk Road, this artifact is crucial material evidence for studying economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, as well as a rare treasure from the Silk Road.

3. Northern Zhou Dynasty: Convex-Nailed Glass Bowl

Unearthed from the joint burial tomb of Li Xian and his wife of the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the southern suburbs of Guyuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, this bowl is now housed in the Guyuan Museum of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It has a straight mouth, a short ring foot, and is fully transparent with a turquoise hue. The outer wall is adorned with two rows of 14 convex circular decorations arranged in a staggered pattern. Its inner wall is smooth, while the outer wall has a thin layer of golden-yellow patina. Made of soda-lime glass containing various minerals, this shape was very popular on the Iranian Plateau during the Sasanian period. The stamp combines special varnish and 3D embossing techniques, making the crystal-clear texture and three-dimensional effect of the glass bowl vividly apparent. As a strategic gateway on the northwest section of the Silk Road, Guyuan witnessed the exchange and integration of Eastern and Western cultures, providing extremely important materials for investigating East-West trade at that time.

4. Tang Dynasty: Mural Painting of a Foreign Merchant Leading a Camel Loaded with Silk

Unearthed from the tomb of Lady Tang, wife of Prince An Guo Xiang of the Tang Dynasty in Luoyang, Henan Province, this mural is now collected by the Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum. Painted on the west wall of the tomb passage, the mural depicts a tall and robust camel striding forward with its head held high, hooves lifted, and tail flicking. On the camel’s back are bundled silk rolls and bottles. In front, a Western merchant with a high nose, bushy beard, wearing a pointed hat, a collared long robe, and black high boots strides forward leading the camel by the reins. The mural vividly recreates the scene of merchants from various countries arriving in Luoyang—one of the eastern starting points of the Silk Road—loading silk and heading westward. It objectively reflects the social scenes and folk customs of the Tang Dynasty, telling stories of civilizational exchange and mutual learning. The stamp combines reverse glazing and matte sandblasting techniques, highlighting both the vicissitudes of the mural’s historical changes and the distinct color effects of the figures, ornaments, and animals in the painting, endowing it with a unique artistic temperament.

The stamps feature prominent subjects, clear details, and ingenious printing designs. Based on the characteristics of the four cultural relics, they adopt a combination of “multi-color high-precision offset printing + special techniques” to create a multi-dimensional appreciation experience involving vision and touch, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship and artistic characteristics of Silk Road cultural relics. When viewed under ultraviolet light, each stamp presents a unique fluorescent effect from a distinctive perspective. The background uses a tone similar to ancient paper, enhanced by special glossy ink, depicting landscapes along the ancient Silk Road and merchant camel caravans. The direction of the camel caravans echoes the circulation direction of the cultural relics, creating a profound historical and cultural atmosphere.

This set of stamps is designed by Ma Lihang, edited by Wang Jing, and printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Technology Co., Ltd. using offset printing technology.

2025年特种邮票《丝绸之路文物（三）》
中国邮政2025年5月18日发行《丝绸之路文物（三）》特种邮票1套4枚。
（4-1）T　　汉·“五星出东方利中国”锦护膊　 1.20元
（4-2）T　　南北朝·神人纹银盘　　　　　　1.20元
（4-3）T　　北周·凸钉玻璃碗　　　　　　　1.20元
（4-4）T　　唐·胡人牵驼载丝壁画　　　　　1.20元

志号：2025-7
邮票规格：40×30毫米
齿孔度数：13度
整张枚数：12枚
整张规格：150×170毫米
版别：胶印（二、三图采用局部压凸工艺）
防伪方式：防伪纸张、防伪油墨、异形齿孔、荧光喷码
设计者：马立航
资料提供：新疆维吾尔自治区博物馆、甘肃省博物馆、宁夏回族自治区固原博物馆、洛阳古墓博物馆
责任编辑：王静
印制厂：河南省邮电科技有限公司
计划发行数量：590万套

P.S. 背景资料: 古丝绸之路绵亘万里，延续千年，积淀了以和平合作、开放包容、互学互鉴、互利共赢为核心的丝路精神。这是人类文明的宝贵遗产。该套邮票展现了陆上丝绸之路由西到东沿线的4件珍贵的文物。

“五星出东方利中国”锦护膊出土于位于丝绸之路南道交通要冲的尼雅遗址，现藏于新疆维吾尔自治区博物馆，为汉代射箭时所用护臂(射褙)。护臂所用面锦色彩绚烂，在祥瑞云气纹样间，有序织出凤凰、鸾鸟、麒麟、白虎等瑞兽图案，上下两组循环花纹间织出“五星出东方利中国”的吉祥小篆文字，表达了祈佑祥瑞的寓意。邮票通过特种触感工艺传递古代织锦的触感。“五星出东方利中国”锦护膊是汉代精湛的丝绸制作技艺的绝佳反映，见证了丝绸之路东西方文化交流融汇。

神人纹银盘出土于甘肃省靖远县北滩，藏于甘肃省博物馆，是中国丝绸之路上发现的重要罗马文物，据考证于公元四到五世纪传入中国。盘内壁满饰浮雕花纹，分三圈列置。外圈饰勾连的葡萄卷草纹，其间栖有小鸟、蜜蜂等小动物。中间一圈浮雕为古希腊奥林匹斯十二神的头像，每个头像左侧各有一只动物。中心为一高浮雕男性倚一花豹而坐。邮票采用哑沙和三维浮雕起凸工艺的融合应用，呈现银盘的细节特征和质地纹理。此件器物发现于丝绸之路甘肃段的黄河渡口，是研究东西方经济文化交流交往的重要实物资料，也是十分罕见的丝绸之路遗珍。

凸钉玻璃碗出土于宁夏固原市南郊的北周李贤夫妇合葬墓，现藏于宁夏回族自治区固原博物馆。该碗为直口，矮圈足，通体透明，呈碧绿色，外壁饰以14个凸起的圆形装饰两周，上下错位排列。其内壁光洁，外壁有薄层的金黄色分化物，其材质属钙钠玻璃，含有较多其它矿物质，该形制在萨珊时期的伊朗高原十分流行。邮票将特种光油和三维浮雕起凸组合应用，玻璃碗晶莹剔透的质感和立体感跃然纸上。固原作为丝绸之路西北咽喉门户，见证了东西方文化交流交融，提供了考察当时东西方贸易极为重要的资料。

胡人牵驼载丝壁画出土于河南省洛阳市安国相王孺人唐氏墓，现藏于洛阳古墓博物馆。壁画绘制在唐氏墓墓道西壁，正中一匹高大雄健的骆驼昂首挺胸、抬蹄甩尾、阔步前进。骆驼背上，是捆扎好的丝绸卷和瓶子。前面牵缰绳的西域人高鼻梁、络腮胡，头戴尖帽，身着翻领长衫，脚蹬黑色高靿靴，正迈步牵驼前行。该壁画生动再现了各国商人来到丝绸之路的东方起点之一洛阳，装载丝绸西行走上丝绸之路的场景，客观地反映了唐代的社会场景和世俗风情，讲述着文明交流互鉴的故事。邮票结合逆向上光和哑沙工艺，既展现出壁画沧桑的历史变迁，又突出壁画中人物、饰物、动物等不同的色彩效果，赋予其独特的艺术气质。

该套邮票画面主体突出、细节清晰，印制工艺设计巧妙，根据四种文物的特色，运用“多色高精度胶印+特种工艺”的组合形式，打造视觉、触觉多维度鉴赏体验，展现了丝绸之路文物的精美工艺和艺术特色。在紫外灯下欣赏，分别呈现出独特视角下的荧光效果。背景采用类似古旧纸张的色调，以特种光泽性油墨的烘托，描绘了古丝绸之路沿途景观及行商驼队，驼队方向与文物的流通方向相呼应，营造悠远的历史文化氛围。