Scott No: 1001-04
Serial number: W14
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: May 1, 1969
Denomination: 30 fen
Designer: Xia Zhongdong
Size of stamps:
52*31mm for Value 1, 2;
42*25mm for Value 3, 4
Perforation:
11.5 for Value 1, 2;
11*11.5 for Value 3;
11.5*11 for Value 4
Sheet composition:
50(5*10) for Value 1, 2;
100(10*10) for Value 3, 4
Printing process:
Photogravure for Value 1, 2;
Hectograph for Value 3, 4
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Stamps (1) and (2) were issued on 1 May 1969, stamp (3) on 18 June and stamp (4) on 26 August. The set contains four stamps, designed by Xia Zhongdong and printed by Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamps (1) and (2) are photogravure, measuring 52mm × 31mm, perforation 11.5, with sheet composition of 50 stamps; stamps (3) and (4) are offset lithography, measuring 42mm × 25mm, perforation 11.5 × 11, with sheet composition of 100 stamps.

Main Theme of the Set

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is a double-deck railway-and-highway bridge designed and built independently by China. Construction began in 1960, and the bridge was fully opened to traffic on 29 December 1968. Spanning the Yangtze, it connects the Jinpu (Tianjin–Pukou) and Huning (Shanghai–Nanjing) railway trunk lines, so that north-south traffic is no longer cut off by the river. This set is the only W-series set devoted to the achievements of socialist construction. Selecting different views of the bridge, it presents the grand scale of the project, celebrates the major achievements of China's bridge-building undertaking through self-reliance, and highlights the spirit of hard struggle among the builders.

Stamp Designs and Historical Context

Railway Bridge

The stamp shows a distant view of the bridge's railway deck. The river surface is wide, the bridge's steel truss girders lie across the great river, the bridgehead towers stand tall, and vessels move to and fro on the water. The lower railway deck carries trains and handles north-south rail freight and passenger traffic, directly presenting the magnificent sight of the natural chasm of the Yangtze turned into a thoroughfare.

Highway Bridge

The stamp presents a close view of the highway deck. On the broad roadway, a decorated float adorned with red flags drives slowly past, and the bridgehead towers and the sculptures of workers, peasants and soldiers are clearly visible. The upper highway deck carries north-south road traffic, reflecting the bridge's highway transport function.

Panoramic View of the Bridge

Adopting a bird's-eye perspective, the stamp presents the complete posture of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. The bridge stretches far along the river, with distant hills, river water and embankments merging into one, creating an imposing effect that captures the whole bridge within the small format.

Celebrating Its Completion

The stamp depicts the square at the bridgehead, where crowds gather, coloured banners flutter and people rejoice together, warmly celebrating the triumphant completion of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. It captures the stirring scene of the bridge opening to traffic amid nationwide celebration.

Artistic Features of the Design

The first two stamps, in photogravure, have delicately layered images, while the latter two, in offset lithography, have bright colours dominated by blue-green tones — a departure from the intense red keynote of the model-opera stamps of the same period. This set discontinued the Mao Zedong handwritten "Chinese People's Postal Service" inscription that had been in use for a period and restored printed lettering, a point of landmark significance among Cultural Revolution stamps. The four stamps advance in sequence: railway bridge, highway bridge, panoramic view and the celebration, presenting this landmark project of the era in its entirety. It is a classic among stamps on the theme of bridge construction.