SONG DYNASTY SAILING SHIP and a CARAVEL LATINO

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Ancient sailing ship

Special stamps issued in 2001 by China and Portugal.

"Ancient Sailing Ship" is a special stamp numbered 2001-23, jointly issued by the State Post Bureau of the People's Republic of China and the Postal Department of the Republic of Portugal on November 8, 2001, in order to promote the friendship between China and Portugal.
The "Ancient Sailing Ship" stamp set consists of two stamps, one depicting a Chinese Song Dynasty sailing ship and the other a Portuguese three-masted triangular sailing ship.

Issue Background
Portugal is located in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe , bordering Spain to the east and north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south . On February 8, 1979, Portugal and China established formal diplomatic relations. Historically, both China and Portugal were developed maritime powers with unparalleled sailing manufacturing industries.
On November 8, 2001, in order to promote the friendship between China and Portugal, the State Post Bureau of the People's Republic of China and the Postal Department of the Republic of Portugal jointly issued a set of special stamps entitled "Ancient Sailing Ships".

Ancient Chinese Sailing Ship (2-1), the pattern uses an ancient ship from the Song Dynasty which is more than 700 years old.
According to records, Song Dynasty seagoing ships can be roughly divided into three types: large, medium and small. Large seagoing ships have a cargo capacity of nearly 600 tons, medium-sized ships have a cargo capacity of 200 tons, and small ships have a cargo capacity of less than 200 tons. The Song Dynasty book "Menglianglu" records that they can carry five or six hundred people, two or three hundred people, and dozens of people respectively. 
"Ancient Portuguese Sailboat" (2-2), the pattern used is an ancient Portuguese three-masted triangular sailing ship.

]The designers of this set of stamps used two designs printed horizontally in a row, with a blue band and a khaki band drawn below the designs. The blue band represents the vast ocean, and the khaki band represents the vast land. This creates an artistic conception of mountains connected to mountains and seas connected to seas, symbolizing the friendly relations between China and Portugal. The images are simple and the theme is clear.

Ancient Chinese Sailing Ships (2-1)
In the painting, an ancient Chinese ship is sailing on the blue sea. It has beautiful lines, high ends, a pointed bottom, and a flat and wide hull, showing the most important characteristics of Fujian ships. The background is a vast yellow land and a towering ancient pagoda, expressing the theme that China is one of the birthplaces of maritime culture.

Ancient Portuguese Sailboat (2-2)
In the painting, an ancient Portuguese three-masted dhow (must be a caravel latino) on the blue sea, with the background being a vast yellow land and a towering ancient castle,(Torre de Belem) expressing the theme that Portugal is one of the main birthplaces of maritime culture.

More on the caravel latino is given on:viewtopic.php?p=12903&hilit=caravel#p12903
China 2001 2 x 80y sg 3688A, Scott 3146 A/B
Portugal 2001 2 x 0.26€ sg 2896A, Scott 2454/55.
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