Scott No: 445-452
Serial number: C69
Values in set: 8
Date of issue: October 1, 1959
Denomination: 64 fen
Designer and Engraver: Zhang Guangyu, Qiu Lin, Chen Hanming, Zhong Lin, Zhang Ding, Zhou Lingzhao
Size of stamps: 26*35.5mm
Perforation: 1*11.5
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Engraving and photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Issued on October 1, 1959, this commemorative set contains eight stamps, produced by combined photogravure and recess engraving. Designed by Zhong Ling, Qiu Ling, Chen Hanmin, Zhang Ding, Zhang Guangyu and Zhou Lingzhao, with layout drawings by Sun Chuanzhe and engraving by Gao Pinzhang, the set was printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size: 26mm × 35.5mm; perforation 11 × 11.5; sheet of 50 (10 × 5). Total face value of the set: 0.64 yuan. Denomination and print run for each stamp: Iron and Steel, 8 fen, 10 million copies; Coal, 8 fen, 10 million copies; Machine Building, 8 fen, 10 million copies; Transport and Communications, 8 fen, 10 million copies; Agriculture, 8 fen, 10 million copies; Water Conservancy and Electric Power, 8 fen, 10 million copies; Textile Industry, 8 fen, 10 million copies; Chemical Industry, 8 fen, 10 million copies.

Core Theme of the Set

This is the third instalment among the five series issued for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic, themed around the achievements of socialist construction over the decade. In the ten years after the founding of New China, the country pushed forward construction across industry, agriculture, transport, energy and many other sectors. Selecting eight key branches of the economy and presenting their achievements within a unified design framework, the set chronicles the recovery of the national economy and the early drive toward industrialisation as a tribute to the nation’s tenth birthday.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Iron and Steel

Within a circular frame stands a steel complex with towering blast furnaces and flying molten sparks. Steel formed the foundation of industrialisation and the backbone of the nation’s heavy industry.

Coal

The design features mine headframes and coal trains. Coal was the dominant energy source of the era, supplying power for factories nationwide.

Machine Building

The central subject is a large planer in a workshop, representing the equipment manufacturing sector and demonstrating China’s capacity to fabricate machinery domestically.

Transport and Communications

The illustration shows trains, cargo ships and harbour cranes, integrating land and water transport to depict the flow of goods and connectivity between cities and rural areas.

Agriculture

The stamp depicts ripening farmland and a bumper harvest. It stands for agricultural production, underpinning the nation’s grain security and the supply of basic necessities.

Water Conservancy and Electric Power

Reservoir dams and transmission pylons fill the frame, combining irrigation and power supply to link farmland development with energy infrastructure.

Textile Industry

The scene inside a spinning workshop represents this vital light industry, which met the everyday clothing needs of the populace.

Chemical Industry

Chemical plant installations appear on the stamp, symbolising the emerging chemical sector, an indispensable component of a modern industrial system.

Artistic Design Features

All eight stamps are vertical and printed by the combined photogravure and engraving process. Firm engraved lines are paired with soft photogravure colouring. Every stamp follows the same compositional template: a central circular vignette like a viewing window, cloud patterns at the four corners, and Tiananmen depicted consistently along the bottom edge, placing each sector’s achievement within the National Day thematic framework. Each piece carries its own colour palette in a solemn, elegant style, blending construction milestones with the iconography of the anniversary. Since all eight stamps share the same denomination and print run, the difficulty of assembling a complete set is evenly balanced. This distinctive achievement-themed set holds a special place among the tenth National Day series.