2016 "Beautiful China" Regular Stamps (Second Set) Set of Stamps
The "Beautiful China" series is a collection of regular stamps issued by China Post, numbered "Regular 32", aimed at showcasing the iconic natural and cultural landscapes of various provinces in China. Planned to feature one scenic spot per province, the complete set includes 32 stamps, each measuring 40×30 millimeters. These stamps are printed on security paper using anti-counterfeiting ink, irregular perforations, and fluorescent printing technology. Designed by Ma Lihang, they are printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory Limited.
The first set, consisting of 6 stamps, was issued on May 19, 2013, featuring landscapes such as Xiapu Mudflats and Zhangjiajie Tianzi Mountain. The second set, released on May 12, 2016, includes 4 stamps showcasing destinations like Mudanjiang Snow Village and Hangzhou West Lake Wetland. The third set, launched on May 19, 2021, introduces 6 new stamps featuring attractions like Yimeng Mountain Range and Saihanba Forest. The fourth set, scheduled for release on September 5, 2024, will include 6 stamps highlighting locations such as the mouth of the Yangtze River in Shanghai and Namtso Lake in Lhasa. The stamp series faced official protests from Vietnam in 2013 due to the issuance of the "Sansha Seven Islands" stamp, which raised sovereignty issues in the South China Sea.
The stamps being offered for sale this time are from the Beautiful China second set, with four new stamps featuring the following:
Mudanjiang Snow Village (40 cents)
Located in the Shuangfeng Forest Farm of Dahailin Forestry Bureau, Changting Town, Hailin City, under the jurisdiction of Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province. It is situated 7.9 kilometers from Changting Town, at the junction of Zhang Guangcai Ridge and Laoye Ridge, covering an area of 500 hectares. The entire region has an elevation of over 1200 meters. Known for its long snow season and frequent snowfall, it is said to have "no clear days for three days." The snow village experiences more rain in summer and heavy snow in winter, with a snow accumulation period lasting 7 months from October to May the following year. The average snow depth reaches 2 meters annually, making it one of the snowiest places in China with high-quality, sticky snow, earning it the reputation of "China's Snow Village."
Xingyi Wanfenglin (1 yuan)
Located in the southern direction of Xingyi City, the capital of the Qianxinan Prefecture, it is a national geological park, a national AAAA-rated tourist attraction, one of China's five most beautiful peak forests, and a national demonstration site for agricultural tourism. Wanfenglin is one of the three major karst landforms in southwestern China, often referred to as the "Conical Karst Museum of China" and acclaimed as a "wonder of the world." Wanfenglin is divided into the East Peak Forest and the West Peak Forest, each with unique landscapes. The East Peak Forest is characterized by towering karst peaks, while the West Peak Forest features a plateau karst landscape. Over three hundred and sixty years ago, during the Ming Dynasty, the geographer and traveler Xu Xiake visited Wanfenglin and praised it with the words: "There are countless peaks in the world, but only here do they form a forest."
Shizuishan Sha Lake (2 yuan)
Located at the foot of Helan Mountain and along the Golden Bank of the Yellow River, 42 kilometers from Yinchuan City, Ningxia. The total area of the scenic area is 80.10 square kilometers, with over 20 square kilometers of desert and over 40 square kilometers of water area adjacent to each other. The Sha Lake tourist area was originally a disc-shaped depression in the western plain of Yinchuan. It combines the grandeur of the desert Gobi with the beauty of the water towns of Jiangnan, earning it the reputation of being a "rare cultural tourist destination in the world."
Hangzhou West Lake Wetland (4.2 yuan)
West Lake National Wetland Park is a national wetland park that integrates urban wetlands, farmland wetlands, and cultural wetlands. Four to five thousand years ago, the low-lying wetlands of West Lake were flooded by spring and summer floods from Tianmu Mountain, turning the area into lakes. During dry periods, wetlands emerged. The wetlands exhibit a phenomenon of appearing and disappearing, hence being referred to as the embryonic stage. The total length of the rivers in West Lake National Wetland Park is over 100 kilometers, with about 70% of the area consisting of water bodies such as harbors, ponds, lakes, marshes, among others. Waterways intertwine like lanes and river networks, fish ponds are interspersed, and islands are scattered. The land has a green coverage rate of over 85%, with three main types of soil: red soil, rocky soil, and paddy soil, with red soil and paddy soil being the most widespread.