Scott No: 684-695
Serial number: S54
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: June 1, 1963
Denomination: 118 fen
Designer: Wan Weisheng
Size of stamps: 26.5*43.5mm
Perforation: 12.5
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

S54 "Children" special stamps were issued on June 1, 1963. The set consists of 12 stamps, printed by offset, designed by Wan Weisheng, and printed by Shanghai No. 1 Printing Factory. Stamp size 30 mm × 48 mm, perforation gauge 12.5, 50 stamps per sheet (10 × 5), with a total face value of 1.16 yuan for the set; circulations: 4-fen Absorbed 2.525 million copies, 4-fen Candied Haws 2.55 million copies, 8-fen Little Car and the Big Traffic Policeman 5.225 million copies, 8-fen Spring Breeze 5.325 million copies, 8-fen Bosom Friend 4.4125 million copies, 8-fen Contented 5.125 million copies, 8-fen Little Red Flower 4.45 million copies, 8-fen Schoolbag and Shoes 5.05 million copies, 10-fen Playing with Sand 1.75 million copies, 10-fen Little Ball Fan 1.75 million copies, 20-fen Clever Hands and Bright Mind 1.275 million copies, 20-fen Spring Is Here 1.25 million copies. An imperforate complete set with the same designs was also issued at the same time, specially for philatelists, with a circulation of 50,000 sets, sold at a 50 percent surcharge over the face value while the postage rate remained at the original face value.

Theme of the Set

This set was issued to celebrate International Children's Day on June 1 and is New China's first special stamp set to issue perforated and imperforate versions simultaneously. The designer Wan Weisheng captured the fine, vivid moments of children's daily life, selecting twelve life fragments such as campus study, street play, outdoor recreation, and handicraft work, without grand narrative, focusing on simple, pure childlike charm, and depicting the carefree, healthy growth of children in New China. The figures are round and full, with rosy cheeks and endearing, naive expressions, full of warm daily-life feeling; it is recognized as the peak of the old Ji-te children's-themed stamps.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Absorbed

In the picture a little boy leans over the table, lowering his head and focusing intently on a small spinning top on the table, gently flicking it with his little hand, all his attention on the little toy—vividly freezing the state of a child immersed in play and oblivious to everything else, the simplest and purest joy of childhood.

Candied Haws

A little girl in a flower-print short shirt holds up a string of bright red candied haws, a joyful smile at the corners of her mouth, with bright colors, restoring the folk scene of children in old Beijing streets loving candied haws, full of everyday street childlike charm.

Little Car and the Big Traffic Policeman

A role-play scene: one child wears a white peaked cap and imitates the directing gestures of a traffic policeman, while a companion lies on the ground pushing a toy car in cooperation with the game—a role-play game very popular among children at the time.

Spring Breeze

With spring rain pattering, a little girl holds an oil-paper umbrella and walks slowly in the rain, the hem of her clothes gently lifted by the breeze, the rain fine and soft, the picture fresh and warm, expressing the carefree child's demeanor in the spring wind and rain.

Bosom Friend

A little girl holds a small cat in her arms, her cheek gently pressed close to the cat, her gaze gentle and quiet; one person and one cat accompanying each other, conveying children's love for small animals, the picture quiet and soft.

Contented

A little boy holds a bowl of food and eats with relish, his expression satisfied and comfortable, capturing the simple, direct happiness of a child after eating his fill, plain and moving.

Little Red Flower

A little girl wearing a red scarf has a bright little red flower pinned to her chest, with a shy, joyful expression. The little red flower was an honor symbol awarded to outstanding Young Pioneers at the time, representing progress and glory.

Schoolbag and Shoes

A scene of returning home from school: the child has neatly placed the schoolbag and cloth shoes to one side, the picture quiet and simple, recording the daily routine of going to school and studying diligently. This stamp has a variant with a misprinted plate number.

Playing with Sand

Two children squat beside a sand pile, holding small shovels and buckets to build sandcastles, wholly absorbed in the sand play—the most common and enduring outdoor children's amusement.

Little Ball Fan

A little boy holds a ball and runs on tiptoe, full of dynamism, expressing the lively, active appearance of youngsters who love ball sports, brimming with vigorous vitality.

Clever Hands and Bright Mind

A little girl sits at a table doing handicraft, holding needle and thread and cloth in her hands, sewing earnestly, displaying children learning labor and being clever and handy, cultivating practical ability from childhood.

Spring Is Here

The finale of the set: a child holds a traditional swallow kite, preparing to fly it in the east wind. The kite is a landmark sight of spring, implying vigorous vitality and welcoming the brilliant spring light.

Special 54 "Children" Imperforate Set

The pictures, stamp format, and design content are completely identical to the perforated stamps; all twelve stamps in the set are unperforated. At the time they were mainly aimed at philatelists, with a small supply to the outside, and the circulation was far smaller than that of the perforated stamps; cutting and preservation are more difficult, making it a precious version of this set.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical format. The style draws on the characteristics of folk New Year pictures and decorative illustrations: generalized, round forms, soft figure lines, large areas of flat solid-color backgrounds, and bright, clean color schemes. Each stamp independently forms a small sketch, and the twelve stamps linked together form a complete long scroll of childhood life.