Scott No: 574-585
Serial number: R11
Values in set: 12
Date of issue: July 20, 1961
Denomination: 157 fen
Designer: Wan Weisheng
Engraver: Sun Hongnian, Tang Linshen, Gao Pinzhang, Kong Shaohui
Size of stamps: 24*16mm
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 150(10*15)
Printing process: Engraving
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on July 20, 1961, this definitive set was designed by Wan Weisheng and engraved by Sun Hongnian, Tang Linkun, Gao Pinzhang and Kong Shaohui. It was printed in intaglio at the Beijing Stamp Factory, with no gum on any stamp. The set contains twelve stamps in total, with an aggregate face value of 1.565 yuan. All stamps measure 27mm × 20mm, perforated 11 degrees. Each full sheet holds 150 stamps in a 10 × 15 arrangement. This is the pioneering issue of the Revolutionary Sacred Sites definitive series, as well as New China’s first complete set of definitive stamps produced entirely by intaglio printing. Supplied continuously for all postal tariff requirements, it was printed in successive batches many times, and no precise public circulation figures exist. The design of Bayi Building, Nanchang, was adapted from the illustration used on C88, depicting the structure as a three‑storey building, widely known among philatelists as the “three‑storey Bayi Building”. The later R12 revised it into a four‑storey version.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Bayi Building, Nanchang

The central subject is the Jiangxi Grand Hostel, former headquarters of the Nanchang Uprising, rendered as a three‑storey edifice with trees before it. On August 1, 1927, the Nanchang Uprising fired the first shot of armed resistance against the Kuomintang reactionaries at this site, marking the birth of the People’s Liberation Army. This design appears in the 1‑fen, 1.5‑fen and 2‑fen denominations, covering low postage rates for domestic ordinary letters.

Shazhouba, Ruijin

The design portrays the former site of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Ruijin, with buildings nestled among tall broadleaf trees in a quiet setting. Shazhouba formed the heart of the Central Soviet Area during the Agrarian Revolutionary War, where the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic was established. It stands as an important landmark in the construction of red political power. This motif was used for the 3‑fen, 4‑fen and 5‑fen denominations, suited to affordable domestic correspondence rates.

Pagoda Hill, Yan’an

The composition centres on Pagoda Hill, with the pagoda standing atop the ridge and the valley of the Yanhe River shown below in a concise, stylised treatment. After the Central Red Army reached northern Shaanxi at the end of the Long March, Yan’an became the seat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the command hub through the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the early Liberation War. Pagoda Hill thereby became the most distinct symbol of Yan’an. Issued in 8‑fen, 10‑fen and 20‑fen values, this is the most heavily produced and frequently used design of the whole set.

Tiananmen, Beijing

The stamp shows the front elevation of the Tiananmen Rostrum, with crisp outlines of its double‑eave roof, gateways and huabiao pillars. The Founding Ceremony of the People’s Republic of China was held on Tiananmen in 1949, and it has remained the national symbol of New China ever since. This pattern was released in 22‑fen, 30‑fen and 50‑fen denominations, mostly employed for higher‑rate mail such as airmail, registered items and parcels.

Artistic Design Features

All stamps are small horizontal formats with compact dimensions, convenient for affixing to envelopes and well suited to the practical function of definitives. They are all monochrome intaglio prints: the same architectural drawing is reproduced in different solid colours, with colour used to distinguish denominations. The engraved lines are firm and delicate, powerfully rendering architectural outlines, doors, windows and tree textures with abundant line layers and a substantial tactile quality. This is the key feature separating this set from the later offset‑printed R12.

The four designs follow the chronological sequence of revolutionary history: the Nanchang Uprising, the Ruijin Soviet Area, Yan’an and the Founding Ceremony, forming an unbroken narrative of red history. The set focuses entirely on the buildings themselves, without added figures, slogans or other extraneous elements, achieving a plain and solemn style.