The Courier

The Courier is a pictorial brick unearthed from Tomb No. 5 in Jiayuguan City, dating back to the Wei and Jin dynasties (220-420). Measuring 35 centimeters long and 17 centimeters wide, the artwork was created around the 3rd-4th centuries AD. It depicts a courier wearing a black scarf and a white robe, holding a wooden staff in his left hand. This staff, known as qi, served as a token to pass through checkpoints and relay stations in ancient times. The horse is marked with bright red spots and leaps with all four hooves in the air, indicating it can move fast. The courier sits firmly on horseback, highlighting the speed of the mount and the courier's expertise at his duties. The picture vividly represents a scene of couriers delivering documents in northwestern China during the period and is considered a precious depiction of ancient Chinese postal couriers. This image is also regarded as one of the earliest representations of postal workers in China.

The postal relay system was a traditional communication organization in China and a precursor to modern postal services. In the early 1980s, The Courier was used as a symbol for Chinese postal services at the World Postal Exhibition when China rejoined the Universal Postal Union. Today, it has quietly become the "mascot" of China Post, frequently appearing in logos for the country's postal service.

《驛使圖》

嘉峪關市魏晉5號墓出土的《驛使圖》畫像磚，長35厘米，寬17厘米。《驛使圖》繪于公元3—4世紀前后，畫中繪一位驛使，頭戴黑幘，身穿白袍，左手執棨。棨是古代的一種木制符信，作為通過關卡、驛站的憑證。驛使座下的馬身上有朱紅色的斑塊，馬的四蹄騰空，顯示出正在快速奔跑。驛使則穩坐馬背，反襯出驛馬速度的快捷與信使業務的熟練。《驛使圖》生動再現了當時中國西北地區驛使馳送文書的情景，是中國古代郵驛使的珍貴形象資料。這幅圖畫也被認為是中國最早的郵遞員畫像。

郵驛是中國傳統通信組織形式，現代郵政的前身之一。20世紀80年代初，中國重返萬國郵政聯盟時，就以《驛使圖》作為中國郵政標志物參加了世界萬國郵政博覽會。如今，《驛使圖》悄然成為中國郵政的“形象大使”，經常出現在中國郵政的品牌設計中。