Scott No: 1080-83
Serial number: N25-28
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: November 8, 1971
Denomination: 76 fen
Designer: Zhang Kerang
Size of stamps:
30*40mm for N25, N26, N27;
40*30mm for N28
Perforation:
11.5*11 for N25, N26, N27;
11*11.5 for N28
Sheet composition:
50(5*10) for N25, N26, N27;
50(10*5) for N28
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Numbered Stamps 25-28 "Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Founding of the Party of Labour of Albania" numbered stamps were issued on November 8, 1971. The set consists of 4 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Zhang Kerang, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Nos. 25, 26, and 27 measure 30 mm × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11, 50 stamps per sheet; No. 28 measures 40 mm × 30 mm, perforation gauge 11 × 11.5, 50 stamps per sheet.

Theme of the Set

On November 8, 1941, the Communist Party of Albania, the predecessor of the Party of Labour of Albania, was founded. It led the Albanian people in the anti-fascist struggle, won national liberation, and was renamed the Party of Labour of Albania in 1948. 1971 marked the 30th anniversary of the party's founding. At the time China and Albania had a deep friendly relationship, and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set to express congratulations to the Party of Labour of Albania and the Albanian people and to praise the fighting friendship between the two parties and the peoples of the two countries.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Portrait of Comrade Hoxha, Great Leader of the Albanian People

The image is a half-length portrait of Hoxha, wearing a dark formal suit with his arm raised and a firm expression, with a red background, solemn and dignified—the image of Albania's leader at the time.

Memorial Hall of the Founding of the Party of Labour of Albania

The main subject of the design is the memorial hall building at the birthplace of the Party of Labour of Albania. The house is plain and neat, surrounded by green trees. This is the place where the Communist Party of Albania was secretly founded, bearing witness to the beginning of the Albanian revolution.

Pick in One Hand, Rifle in the Other

The Albanian laborer in the design holds a pick in one hand, devoting himself to production and construction, and grips a rifle in the other, defending the motherland, embodying Albania's policy of building and defending at the same time.

Albania's Sacred Territory Is Inviolable

The design combines the Albanian national flag, national emblem, and rifle, with the double-headed eagle on the national emblem standing out prominently, symbolizing the Albanian people's firm determination to defend national territorial sovereignty to the death.

Artistic Design Features

The set adopts the expressive form of posters, with intense colors and a distinct red keynote. The four stamps are, in sequence, the leader's portrait, the birthplace of the party, production and defense of the country, and defense of the territory, with a clear narrative order, closely centering on the theme of commemorating the 30th anniversary of the party's founding. It is a representative numbered stamp set reflecting the friendly relations between China and Albania in the 1970s.