Scott No: 1011-16
Serial number: W18
Values in set: 6
Date of issue: October 1, 1969
Denomination: 110 fen
Designer: Li Dawei, Zhang Kerang
Size of stamps:
52*31mm for Value 1, 3, 5;
31*52mm for Value 2, 4, 6
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition:
50(5*10) for Value 1, 3, 5;
40(10*4) for Value 2, 4, 6
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Issued on 1 October 1969, the set contains six stamps, printed in photogravure by Beijing Stamp Factory. The set is made up of four designs: two designs, "Defend the Frontier" and "Army and People Guard the Coastal Defence", were each printed again as a high-value stamp of the same design for international mail postage. This brings the set to six stamps.

Main Theme of the Set

In 1969, armed clashes along the Sino-Soviet border continued. After the Zhenbao Island incident, the situation remained tense, the whole country entered a state of combat readiness, and "be prepared for war" became an important call of the time. Issued on the day of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the set presents four scenes — army-civilian unity, frontier patrol, coastal defence duty and cavalry on duty — to express the theme of the army and people across the nation guarding the country with one heart. It echoes the title "The Chinese People Armed with Mao Zedong Thought Are Invincible" and strengthens the resolve of the army and people to defend the frontier.

Stamp Designs and Historical Context

Army-Civilian Unity

The design shows PLA soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder with the masses. Workers, peasants, militia members and soldiers together raise red flags, the ranks are orderly and the expressions spirited. The figures are arranged closely together, expressing the overall image of the army and the people being closely united in jointly guarding the country. It is the opening picture of the set.

Defend the Frontier

The design shows frontier soldiers and civilians on patrol and sentry duty in a world of ice and snow. Soldiers stand guard with rifles while militia members cooperate with them. In the distance are rolling mountains and the direction of the boundary markers. The figures stand on the snowy plain, facing wind and snow without retreating, conveying the combat-readiness of joint army-civilian defence in border areas, ever alert to an invading enemy. A high-value stamp of the same design was also printed from this picture for use on international mail.

Army and People Guard the Coastal Defence

The design depicts a scene of joint defence along the coastline. Navy soldiers and militia stand duty and keep watch among the reefs and on the beaches, with a vast expanse of sea and the silhouettes of ships in the distance. Coastal defence outposts and the people along the shore together form a line of defence, reflecting the arrangement whereby the army and people of coastal areas jointly guard the maritime frontier. A high-value stamp of the same design was likewise printed from this picture.

PLA Frontier Cavalry Soldiers

The design shows a scene of frontier cavalry on patrol. Soldiers sit astride their horses with rifles, riding in formation between grassland and mountain terrain; the horses are strong and the column stretches far. Cavalry possessed great mobility and were an important force for patrol and duty in border regions at that time. The picture shows them inspecting and standing guard along the vast frontier line.

Artistic Features of the Design

The set continues the poster style of the W-series stamps, with full compositions and tall, prominent figures, and clear contrasts of red, white and green tones. The different environments of snowy plain and maritime frontier are distinguished through the backgrounds, and the four pictures each have their own emphasis while echoing one another. The stamps carry no serial number, and the postal inscription is in Mao Zedong's handwriting — typical features of the W-series stamps. The four pictures unfold in the order of army-civilian unity, land frontier patrol, coastal defence duty and cavalry on duty, moving from the overall picture to specific scenes and presenting in full the contemporary vision of the army and people jointly guarding the border. In the theme of border defence, it connects with N7 *Severely Punish the Invading Enemy*, issued later the same year.