"These are issued specially for the convenience of philatelists. They are smaller in size than a whole regular sheet but bigger than a single stamp.

The souvenir sheet is also called "miniature souvenir sheet" or ‘philatelic souvenir sheet’. When a new set of commemorative or special stamp is issued it is printed on a sheet for sale. The first souvenir sheet issued by the Chinese People’s Postal Service was that titled ‘Commemorating the 22th Anniversary of the May 30 Moment’. It was put out by the Northeast General Post and Telegraph Administration in 1947.

The miniature sheet is one printed with one stamp of a commemorative or special set, or one with designs related to the theme of the set. The first miniature sheet issued by China was that titled ‘Ancient Scientists’ issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 1956.

Souvenir and miniature sheets are generally issued simultaneously with commemorative or special stamps. They are, however, issued not for all commemorative or special sets. They are laced with commemorative words and matching designs. They are sold generally at the original face values, but sometimes they are sold at higher prices. In both cases, they can be used on postage stamps. Even if they are sold higher than their face values, they are still taken at their face values when used, and the extra price cannot be counted in as postage."

From: Chinese Stamps,
Compiled by Wu Hanming.