Scott No: 1122-25
Serial number: N91-94
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: August 25, 1973
Denomination: 46 fen
Designer: Zhang Kerang
Size of stamps: 31*38.5mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Numbered Stamps 91-94 "Asian-African-Latin American Table Tennis Friendship Invitational Tournament" numbered stamps were issued on August 25, 1973. The set consists of 4 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Zhang Kerang, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 31 mm × 38.5 mm, perforation gauge 11.5, 50 stamps per sheet (10 × 5).

Theme of the Set

In November 1971, during the Asian-African Table Tennis Friendship Invitational Tournament held in Beijing, the heads of the delegations of the six initiating countries—China, Korea, Japan, Egypt, Nepal, and Mauritius—unanimously decided at their meeting to expand the scope of the invitational tournament to Latin America. From August 25 to September 7, 1973, the First Asian-African-Latin American Table Tennis Friendship Invitational Tournament was held in Beijing, with table tennis delegations from 86 countries and regions and more than 1,100 athletes participating. It was the largest international sports competition hosted by China at the time. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set on the opening day to commemorate this grand sports event, display the achievements of China's ping-pong diplomacy, and praise the unity and friendship between the peoples and athletes of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Emblem of the Asian-African-Latin American Table Tennis Friendship Invitational Tournament

With green as the base, the design prominently features at its center a bud-shaped emblem composed of a table tennis racket and three "A"s. The three "A"s are the first letters of the English words for Asia, Africa, and Latin America respectively; the racket and emblem combine into a flower bud about to bloom, symbolizing the unity and friendship of the peoples of the three continents and also implying the vitality of table tennis in this vast region.

Warmly Welcoming the Arrival of Asian, African, and Latin American Friends

The design depicts friends from Asian, African, and Latin American countries descending the aircraft gangway and entering a sea of welcome formed by red flowers, with people in various ethnic costumes holding bouquets and singing and dancing as they line the route to welcome them. The red main tone is warm and intense, fully expressing the scene of the host Chinese people warmly entertaining guests from afar.

Woman Table Tennis Player

With blue as the base, the center of the design is a woman table tennis player in a white sports suit, swinging her racket to hit the ball, her body leaning forward with an expansive, powerful movement, with a table and motion lines in the background, highlighting the characteristics of table tennis—light, agile, and rapid in switching between offense and defense—and also displaying the competitive elegance of China's women athletes.

Unity and Friendship

This is a work in poster style: athletes of different skin colors and different costumes from Asia, Africa, and Latin America embrace tightly together with bright smiles, and the background tones are warm and bright. The picture directly takes human emotion as its subject, symbolizing the profound friendship formed by athletes of the three continents off the field, and lands the theme of the entire set on "unity and friendship."

Artistic Design Features

The set continues the design thread of Nos. 21-24 "Asian-African Table Tennis Friendship Invitational Tournament," with simple, generous compositions and sharp color contrasts. The four stamps unfold in the order of the emblem symbol, the welcome scene, the athlete image, and unity and friendship—from the landmark emblem, to the figures on the field, and then to the emotional conclusion—with clear narrative layers. The three base colors of green, red, and blue each perform their function, respectively carrying the visual functions of symbol, celebration, and competition; the last stamp elevates the theme with the embrace of figures. It is a set with complete design language and clear thematic expression among the sports diplomacy-themed numbered stamps of the 1970s.