Scott No: 563-566,563a
Serial number: C86. C86m
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: April 5, 1961
Denomination: 50 fen
Designer: Wu Jiankun
Size of stamps: 50*16mm
Size of M/S: 150*100m
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 75(5*15)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on April 5, 1961, this commemorative set contains four stamps. It was designed by Lu Tianjiao; the emblem was created by Chen Wanjun. The stamps were photogravure-printed at the Beijing Stamp Factory, with gum applied to the reverse side of every stamp. All stamps share a uniform size of 54mm × 20mm, perforated 11 degrees. Each full sheet holds 75 stamps in a 5 × 15 arrangement, and the total face value of the set is ¥0.60. Issue quantities: Emblem and Winter Jasmine, 8 fen, 12 million copies; Matches Held in Beijing, 10 fen, 8 million copies; Match Play, 20 fen, 5 million copies; Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium, 22 fen, 1.5 million copies. C86M souvenir sheet was released on the same day, designed by Lu Tianjiao. It measures 150mm × 100mm with 11-degree perforations, carries a total face value of ¥0.60, and had a print run of only 30,000 copies.

This tournament marked the first time New China hosted the World Table Tennis Championships, running from April 5 to 14. At the event, the Chinese national table tennis team claimed three gold medals: men’s team, men’s singles and women’s singles. Zhuang Zedong and Qiu Zhonghui won the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively. This triumph ushered in the glorious era of China’s “national ball” and greatly lifted the spirits of the whole nation amid the difficult period.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Emblem and Winter Jasmine

On the left of the design are blooming winter jasmine blossoms with stretching branches dotted with golden yellow flowers. On the right sits the plum-blossom-shaped official emblem of the championship, formed by five table tennis paddles in different colours, symbolising athletes from all five continents gathering in Beijing and forging friendship through the sport. As an early spring flower, winter jasmine indicates the spring timing of the competition and embodies the host’s warm welcome. This emblem remains one of the classic sports symbols of early New China.

Matches Held in Beijing

At the centre floats a bright red ribbon linking two table tennis paddles at either end, set against the silhouette of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven. One of Beijing’s most iconic ancient buildings, the hall blends traditional Chinese architectural heritage with table tennis, identifying Beijing as the host city and lending the design a festive, vibrant tone.

Match Play

The stamp freezes a dynamic rally between two male players across the table. One attacks while the other defends, both in agile poses. The table and net are clearly rendered, capturing the swift intensity of competitive play and distilling the excitement of the arena.

Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium

The design features an exterior view of the Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium. The building presents a neat rectangular form, with orderly flagpoles and fluttering coloured banners out front. Constructed specially for this championship, it ranked among China’s premier indoor sports venues at the time, seating more than 15,000 spectators. It hosted every match of the tournament and witnessed the historic Chinese victories.

Souvenir Sheet

The four stamps are arranged centrally on the souvenir sheet, framed by scrolling foliate ornaments at the top and bottom. A red Song-type title reading “The 26th World Table Tennis Championships” runs along the upper margin. The lower section bears a single-line drawing of the Temple of Heaven paired with cloud motifs, together with the inscription “Beijing, 5–14 April 1961”. Generous blank space lends it a clean, restrained aesthetic, keeping focus firmly on the stamps themselves. Most original souvenir sheets were allocated for foreign exchange and limited sale through philatelic agencies. Fine, intact examples are extremely scarce and rank among the most prized sports-themed stamps of the early J and Te series.

Artistic Design Features

Every stamp adopts a long horizontal format, naturally suited to horizontal compositions featuring flowers, architecture and sporting scenes. The four stamps unfold in a clear narrative sequence: the first establishes the identity of the championship and the spirit of hospitality; the second integrates local cultural landmarks; the third zeroes in on competitive action; the final one records the host venue. Together they tell the full story of the event, moving from symbolism and local flavour to live competition and the arena. The style draws on decorative propaganda art, characterised by crisp outlines, bright, lively colours and minimal heavy shading, matching the upbeat atmosphere of a major sporting competition.

Photogravure printing delivers vivid, translucent colour with well-controlled saturation, rendering the pale yellow jasmine and striking red ribbon with crisp tonal separation. Alongside the later C99 and C112, this set completes the trilogy of 1960s World Table Tennis Championship stamps, among which C86 carries the greatest historical significance as the milestone marking the rise of China’s national ball. The four stamps vary enormously in print volume. The high-value 22-fen Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium stamp, with just 1.5 million copies issued, serves as the key stamp of the set, while its souvenir sheet is universally recognised as a legendary rarity in Chinese philately.