Scott No: 647-654
Serial number: R12
Values in set: 14
Date of issue: January 10, 1962
Denomination: 169 fen
Designer: Sun Chuanzhe
Size of stamps: 21*17mm
Perforation: 12.5
Sheet composition:
200(10*20) for all;
110(11*10) for Value 4 in addition
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on January 10, 1962. Designed by Sun Chuanzhe and offset-printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. The set contains 14 stamps in total, printed in two batches, Group A and Group B, with an aggregate face value of ¥1.69. Group A is the earlier printing, perforated 12.5 degrees, on yellowish paper, mostly with rough perforations. Group B is the later printing, perforated 11×11.5 degrees, on bright white paper, mostly with clean-cut perforations. The uniform stamp size is 18mm × 20mm. Two sheet formats were produced: sheets of 200 and sheets of 110 stamps, with no gum. This issue follows R11, the first version of Revolutionary Sacred Sites regular stamps. It was redesigned and finalised to correct the error in the depiction of the number of storeys of the Bayi Building on C88. As a regular stamp for long-term circulation, it was affixed to ordinary letters, registered mail and airmail. It was printed in huge quantities and reprinted many times; precise circulation figures for many denominations have never been publicly released.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Bayi Building, Nanchang

The central motif shows the former headquarters of the Nanchang Uprising, namely the Jiangxi Grand Hostel, with a complete building façade and accurate floor details, and trees in front of the edifice. On August 1, 1927, the Nanchang Uprising broke out here, firing the first shot of armed resistance against the Kuomintang reactionaries and marking the birth of the People’s Liberation Army. When drawing this version, Sun Chuanzhe carefully cross-checked the real site and fixed the mistake on C88, where one storey of the building had been omitted. This correction constitutes the primary reason for the creation of this set. This design appears in multiple denominations: 1 fen, Group A 2 fen, Group B 2 fen, Group A 3 fen and Group B 3 fen, catering to different postage rates.

Shazhouba, Ruijin

The design portrays the former site of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Ruijin, with buildings nestled among woods. Shazhouba formed the heart of the Central Soviet Area at that time. The Chinese Soviet Republic was proclaimed here, making it the centre of the red political power during the Agrarian Revolutionary War, bearing abundant historical traces of regime building and land reform. This design was used for the 3-fen and 4-fen denominations, suited to low-rate domestic correspondence.

Pagoda Hill, Yan’an

The composition centres on the Yanhe River and Pagoda Hill, with the pagoda standing atop the hill and the river winding through the scene. It is the most iconic landmark of Yan’an. From the arrival of the Long March forces in northern Shaanxi through the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the early stage of the Liberation War, Yan’an hosted the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and served as the revolutionary base admired by progressive young people nationwide. The Pagoda Hill motif saw the widest deployment across denominations: 8 fen, Group A 10 fen, Group B 10 fen, Group A 20 fen and Group B 20 fen, making it the most widely circulated design in the whole set.

Tiananmen, Beijing

The design presents the front elevation of the Tiananmen Rostrum in a simple and solemn style. After Beijing became the national capital of New China, Tiananmen emerged as the symbol of the nation, representing the ultimate victory of the New Democratic Revolution. This pattern was issued in three denominations: 4 fen, 30 fen and 52 fen. The higher values were mostly used for higher-rate mail such as airmail and registered post.

Artistic Features of the Design

The whole set adopts small horizontal stamp formats, convenient for placement in the corner of envelopes, a typical feature prioritising practicality for regular stamps. All are monochrome offset prints, with one single design rendered in different solid colours to distinguish denominations. Compositions are concise and restrained, free of redundant ornamentation, faithful to the real architecture and leaning toward a realistic sketch style. The four historic sites are arranged along the chronological thread of the revolution: the Nanchang Uprising, the Ruijin Soviet period, the Yan’an era and the founding ceremony, weaving a complete narrative of red history.

Offset printing yields smooth, gentle lines suitable for continuous mass production with controllable costs, matching the role of regular stamps in sustaining long-term postal services. Identical denominations and designs exist in both Group A and Group B; the two printings can be differentiated by paper tone, perforations and subtle hidden marks in linework, offering rich research material for plate variety collecting and postmark studies. Among vintage regular stamps, R12 and R11 together form the two classic Revolutionary Sacred Sites series. Widely circulated, they constitute core study items for postal rates and postal history of the 1960s, together with genuine used covers.