Scott No: 1054-57
Serial number: N8-11
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: March 18, 1971
Denomination: 44 fen
Designer: Zhang Kerang, Wu Jiankun
Engraver: Sun Hongnian, Wu Pengyue
Size of stamps:
30*40mm for N8, N101;
40*30mm for N9, N11
Perforation:
11*11.5 for N8, N10;
11.5*11 for N9, N11
Sheet composition:
50(10*5) for N8, N10;
50(5*10) for N9, N11
Printing process:
Photogravure for N8, N11;
Engraving and photogravure for N9, N10
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Numbered Stamps 8-11 "Commemoration of the Centenary of the Paris Commune" numbered stamps were issued on March 18, 1971. The set consists of 4 stamps. Nos. 8 and 11 are printed by photogravure; Nos. 9 and 10 by photogravure combined with engraving; designed by Zhang Kerang and Wu Jiankun, engraved by Sun Hongnian and Wu Pengyue, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Nos. 8 and 10 measure 30 mm × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11 × 11.5, 50 stamps per sheet; Nos. 9 and 11 measure 40 mm × 30 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11, 50 stamps per sheet.

Theme of the Set

On March 18, 1871, the Paris proletariat launched an armed uprising and established the Paris Commune, the first proletarian regime in human history. 1971 marked the centenary of the Paris Commune. This set was issued to commemorate the great practice of the Paris Commune's proletarian revolution, praise the proletariat's revolutionary spirit of daring to struggle and striving for liberation, and remember the historical experience of the Commune.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

A Red Flag of the Paris Commune

The picture shows a red flag preserved from the Paris Commune, with French words such as "REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE" and "COMMUNE DE PARIS" printed on it. It is a landmark physical object of the Paris Commune revolution, symbolizing the revolutionary spark of the Commune and representing the glorious banner of the proletarian revolution.

The Paris Proletariat and Other Working People Launch an Armed Uprising

The design recreates the scene of the Paris Commune uprising: workers and the masses take up weapons in the streets and bravely charge amid gun smoke, recreating the heroic scene of the Paris proletariat rising against bourgeois rule and firing the first shots of armed struggle.

The Scene When the Paris Commune Was Proclaimed

The design depicts the grand scene of a Commune members' assembly, with red flags standing in rows and the masses gathered. Here the Paris Commune was formally proclaimed, and the world's first proletarian regime was born, inscribed in the history of the proletarian revolution.

Paris Commune Members on the International Square

The design shows Commune members on the International Square, their emotions running high, red flags fluttering, and members united together, expressing their firm determination to defend the Commune to the death and safeguard the fruits of the revolution.

Artistic Design Features

The set combines two processes: photogravure and photogravure combined with engraving. The two engraved stamps have weighty lines, and the pictures have the texture of historical prints. The four stamps follow the narrative thread of the Commune's flag, the armed uprising, the birth of the regime, and the vow to defend the Commune to the death, progressing layer by layer, with red as the main tone setting off the revolutionary theme. It is a classic set among the numbered stamps on the theme of international revolutionary history.