ARTS / CULTURE & LEISURE
Chinese stamp engraver decodes the mystery of Snake stamps
Hand engraving magic
Published: Jan 15, 2025 11:20 PM
Yang Zhiying poses for a photo with samples of stamps for the Year of the Snake in Beijing. Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Yang Zhiying poses for a photo with samples of stamps for the Year of the Snake in Beijing. Photo: Chen Tao/GT

By 3 am, some citizens in Jinan, East China's Shandong Province had lined up outside a post office, ready to purchase a set of special stamps commemorating the imminent Chinese zodiac Year of the Snake. In the chilly morning, their breath was visible in the cold air, and their faces were etched with eagerness, while they were waiting to see these tiny pieces of art that symbolize the propitious Year of the Snake.

In Beijing, the stamp sales kicked off one hour earlier than usual, at 8 am; and within one hour, all the stamps for the Year of the Snake were sold out.

The popular engraved artwork was made by Yang Zhiying, one of the only nine stamp engravers in China.

"Since September 28, 2024, I have been working on the project. Seven of us stamp engravers were bidding for the set of stamps for the Year of the Snake when my work was selected. I was quite pleased and excited," Yang told the Global Times.

China has released zodiac stamps annually since 1980, which was Year of the Monkey.

Rooted in tradition

Yang reminisced about her journey into the art of craftsmanship, during which she discovered a striking resemblance between the  dots and lines in engraving and the techniques employed in traditional Chinese painting. 

"The dots and lines reminded me of the sketches in Chinese painting. So, the concept in stamp engraving is easy for Chinese people to understand and pick up," Yang said. 

A collector of the works in the form of dots and lines herself, Yang explained that the design for the set of two special stamps for the Year of the Snake has an infusion of the elements of the traditional Chinese culture inspired by Dunhuang murals and folk customs, and ingeniously combines the image of snakes with auspicious meanings, which not only reflects the unique charm of the zodiac culture, but also embodies simple and flexible folk wisdom.

The design enlightened her to feature the agility as well as the cadence and fluency in the stamps. Yang then referred to Chinese paintings that showcase animals and birds. 

Through her creative works in stamp engraving, the even lines in the design copy were varied into different sizes. The adjustment was based on her experience. She also took the following process in printing. By changing the thickness of the lines, Yang has ensured the snakes look even more vivid.
 
The steps for making Year of the Snake stamps Photos: Chen Tao/GT, VCG

The steps for making Year of the Snake stamps Photos: Chen Tao/GT, VCG

Niche art in China


Yang revealed that the stamp engraving technique has been mastered by no more than 100 people in the world. While in China, there are only nine masters in stamp engraving. 

In April, 2011, Yang passed a selective examination on sketching, and started a 10-people-in-one-class training program majoring in graphic design. Their trainer was Martin Mörck, a Norwegian-Swedish artist, who is also the most productive living stamp designer and engraver in the world today.

"When I went through his hand drawing works, I was amazed and found it to be 'mission impossible,'" Yang said. 

Fourteen years later, she has grown into a stamp engraving master who got the set of two special stamps for the Year of the Snake done in one go. 

"I had a tough time during the training. Every day, I worked on the engraving for about 12 hours. It was quite a challenge, but an enjoyable life." 

Yang pointed out the difficulty of the skill that since the stamps are small-sized works, the ink draft that Yang worked on was usually four to six times larger than the stamps. When the ink draft was scanned into her desktop, she could refine the lines. The next copy of the draft was then converted onto a film on a steel plate for hand engraving. 

Before converting the film, the stamp engraver needs to convert the copy to four times or six times smaller than the eventual size, which is usually about three centimeters by four centimeters.

The process of transferring the film onto the steel plate requires the stamp engraver to cut it at various depths to give the effect of shadows, highlights, and contours through craftsmanship. Laser engraving also requires ink drawings. The engraver hands the stamp-sized manuscript to the laser engraving team for engraving using laser technology.

Though having had the occupation for 14 years, Yang still works on it passionately as she believes every stamp should be a masterpiece that combines skill and art. 

"I think I am really lucky, as I have found something I love and can keep working on it," Yang told the Global Times.