Special 407 New Year’s Greeting Postage Stamps (1999) (D407)

Stamp SN : D407
Stamp Name : Special 407 New Year’s Greeting Postage Stamps (1999)
Stamp Cat Standard : Special Stamps
Stamp Cat : Lunar New Year,Zodiac
Issue date : 1999-12-01
Dimension of stamps(mm.) : 26x34(mm)
Size of souvenir Sheet (mm.) : 78 x 102(mm)
Printer : China Color Printing Co., Inc., R.O.C.
Sheet composition : 20 ( 4 x 5 )
Print color : Colorful
Process : Deep etch offset
Paper : Phosphorescent stamp paper
Perforation : 12 1/2 x 12
Designer : Lin Chun-liang

The Chinese have traditionally used double-revolving combinations of the Ten Celestial Stems and the Twelve Terrestrial Branches to designate years. The full 60-year cycle is called a chia-tzu, for the first stem and first branch. The Twelve Terrestrial Branches also have animal representations: izu (rat), chou (ox), yin (ti-er), mao (rabbit), chen(dragon), szu (snake), wu (horse), wei (sheep), shen (monkey), yu (rooster), hsu (dog) and hai (pig). Each year the Directorate issues New Year's Greeting Postage Stamps taking the upcoming year's animal sign as the theme.