Scott No: 600-604
Serial number: S47
Values in set: 5
Date of issue: November 25, 1961
Denomination: 72 fen
Designer: Pan Shixun, Liu Shuoren
Size of stamps: 26.5*35.5mm
Perforation: 11.5*11
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

S47 "The New Life of the Tibetan People" special stamps were issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on November 25, 1961. The set consists of 5 stamps, designed by Liu Shuoren, with original paintings by Pan Shixun, printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory by photogravure, with gum applied to the back of the entire set. The uniform stamp size is 26.5 mm × 35.5 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11, 50 stamps per sheet, layout 10 × 5, with a total face value of 0.72 yuan for the set. Circulations: Song of Emancipation 4 fen, 5.3 million copies; Happiness Takes Root from Now On (Sowing) 8 fen, 9 million copies; Celebrating the Harvest 10 fen, 4 million copies; Once Slaves, Today Representatives (Democratic Life) 20 fen, 3 million copies; The Happy Generation 30 fen, 15 million copies.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Song of Emancipation

The design uses a sketched group portrait to present Tibetan masses after emancipation: people walk together with high-spirited expressions, breaking free from the oppression of the old system and welcoming a new destiny. After the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the feudal serf system was abolished, and millions of serfs gained personal freedom. This stamp, as the opening of the set, freezes this historic starting point of emancipation and liberation.

Happiness Takes Root from Now On (Sowing)

The design shows a Tibetan woman carrying seeds and striding toward the fields, raising her hand to scatter the seeds, with open plateau fields behind her. Sowing symbolizes the land returning to the laborers' hands and sowing hope on the plateau land, implying that a new life and new production take root from now on, opening an era of independent cultivation.

Celebrating the Harvest

The design depicts a plateau harvest gathering: Tibetan people gather together with colored flags standing in rows, rejoicing together over the harvest. For a long time serfs worked hard but could not enjoy the harvest; after the reform, the harvest belonged to the laborers. The harvest is not only an abundant grain yield but also the joy of laborers reaping the fruits of their own labor.

Once Slaves, Today Representatives (Democratic Life)

The design depicts several Tibetan representatives sitting around discussing affairs, with men and women sitting together in equality and jointly deliberating local matters. Serfs who formerly had no voice have become representatives enjoying democratic rights, embodying the equal participation of the masses of all ethnic groups in local governance under the new system.

The Happy Generation

The design shows two Tibetan children lying on the ground together, reading and learning to write, with books placed beside them. In the old era, the children of lower-class serfs had almost no opportunity to study; the new generation of youngsters can receive education, symbolizing the transmission of civilization and knowledge to the next generation, with the nation's long-term hope placed in its youth.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical format, with the narrative advancing layer by layer: from emancipation and liberation, to sowing on the land, to celebrating the harvest, and then to managing affairs as masters and children reading—completely outlining a complete thread from breaking free from suffering and developing production to the new life of democracy and education. The style is based on sketching and rapid drawing, with plain, weighty lines; each stamp is paired with a soft, elegant solid background color—yellow, green, pale yellow, light pink, and pale blue distinguished in sequence—clean and fresh, without elaborate embellishment, placing the focus on the figures' expressions and the narrative itself.