Scott No: 821-822
Serial number: C110
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: April 18, 1965
Denomination: 16 fen
Designer: Wan Weisheng
Size of stamps: 26.5*36mm
Perforation: 11.5*11
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

C110 "10th Anniversary of the Bandung Conference" commemorative stamps were issued on April 18, 1965. The set consists of 2 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Wan Weisheng, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 26.5 mm × 36 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11, 50 stamps per sheet. Both stamps have a face value of 8 fen, with a total face value of 0.16 yuan for the set and a circulation of 5 million copies each.

Theme of the Set

In April 1955, the Bandung Conference was held in Bandung, Indonesia. It was the first large-scale international conference in Asian-African history with no colonial countries participating, with twenty-nine Asian and African countries and regions attending. The conference established the Bandung Spirit of unity against imperialism, striving for national independence, promoting Asian-African cooperation, and safeguarding world peace. Zhou Enlai led the Chinese delegation to attend and helped bring the conference to a complete success. By 1965, the tenth anniversary of the conference arrived, and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set to honor this far-reaching international gathering and praise the common will of the peoples of Asian and African countries to join hands against imperialist and colonial oppression and pursue independent development.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Exterior of the Bandung Conference Venue

The main subject of the design is the exterior of the Merdeka Building, the venue of the Bandung Conference. The white conference building is dignified and elegant; on the street in front of the building there are pedestrians and vehicles, and colorful triangular flags hang in the air, setting off a warm and grand commemorative atmosphere. At the top of the stamp are printed the stamp title and the years "1955–1965," using the actual building to freeze the site of this historic conference.

Asian and African Peoples Celebrate Unity

The design gathers people of Asian and African countries of different skin colors and different ethnic costumes, standing side by side with high-spirited and passionate expressions. The background is paired with banner slogans reading "Down with Imperialism," "Down with Colonialism," and "Long Live Asian-African Unity," intuitively expressing the aspirations of the Asian and African peoples for independence, unity, and mutual assistance, and interpreting the core connotation of the Bandung Spirit.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical stamp format, with simple and lively compositions; one static and one dynamic design are paired together. The first leans toward documentary, using architecture to carry historical memory, with calm and steady tones; the second is in the group-portrait poster style, with rich, full figures and passionate, unrestrained colors, full of appeal. The photogravure printing has bright colors and soft layers; the color contrasts of the colored flags, slogans, and crowds are sharp, with a strong flavor of the times.