Year of the Ox 1997 - CHINA First Day Cover (FDC)

1997 Year of Ox

Technical details:

Scott No: 2747-48
Serial number: 1997-1
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: January 5, 1997
Designers: Hu zhenyuan
Size: 26*31mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 32
Printing process: gravure-engraving combined

SN: (2-1)
Title: The Gold Ox Gallops Radiantly
Value: 150 fen

SN: (2-2)
Title: Ox Ploughs for a Good Harvest
Value: 50 fen


Background info

The practice of using animals to number the years best reflects the beauty of Chinese traditional culture.

Briefly, this practice is a combined use of Heavenly stems and Earthly Branches with twelve animals closely related to human beings, namely mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, horse, goat, monkey, dog, pig and dragon. (As a matter of fact, there is no such a thing as dragon. But people use it because it means a lot to Chinese.) Each animal represents an Earthly Branch and twelve years is a round, and sixty years makes up a big one. In this way, the dull figure of each year now comes to life and easy to be remembered, which shows the creativity and imagination of our ancestor.

Using animals to number the years also reflects the idea of equality among our ancestor. Every animal, ranging from unconspicuous mouse to powerful tiger, the king of animals, is endowed with certain quality or virtue and every Chinese will be happy to be born in any year of these animals.

The animals, which have nothing to do with each other, are arranged in perfect order and each of them will be the "dealer" for one year in turn. All these animals play their own roles and add both happiness and flavour to this world.

More often than not, people may witness such a touching scene in anywhere of the world: a group of Chinese meet, they don't know each other before. But they will be soon drawn close as long as any of them counts the year in animals on the fingers. They will sit together, doing small talks happily. This, of course, is a unique scene to China.

1997 is the year of Dingchou in the lunar calendar and those born in this year is born in the year of ox.

Year of the Tiger 1986 - CHINA First Day Cover (FDC)

Bing-Yin Year (1986 Year of the Tiger)

Technical details:

Scott No: 2019
Serial number: T107
Values in set: 1
Date of issue: January 5, 1986
Denomination: 8 fen
Designers: Zhang Guofan
Engraver: Hu Zhengyuan
Size of stamps: 26*31mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 80(10*8)
Printing process: Engraving and photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

SN: (1-1)
Title: Bing-Yin Year (Year of the Tiger)
Value: 8 fen


Background info

1986 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar. The heavenly stems and earthly branches were the traditional Chinese method for numbering the years. The tiger is the third of the third of the 12 zodiac animals. In popular China, the tiger has always been considered the king of all beasts, a sign of might, strength the households. In Licheng of Shanxi Province, there is a legend about a tiger taming a mountain monster: The mountain monster, manipulating a drove of poisonous snakes, insects and scorpions, did harm to the local residents. When a deity came, he offered elixirs of life to detoxify the locals. Prior to his departure, he presented a "divine gift"-a gold tiger-to the locals. Safety had been guaranteed for the households and people of Licheng ever since. Later, locals began to sew cloth tigers of various descriptions, and children began to wear tiger-head shoes and tiger-head caps. This practice has been passed down to the present and has evolved into a local tradition