Scott No: 1544-46
Serial number: J51
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: November 26, 1979
Denomination: 76 fen
Designer: Sun Chuanzhe
Size of stamps:
40*30mm for Value 1, 3;
30*40mm for Value 2
Perforation:
11*11.5 for Value 1, 3;
11.5*11 for Value 2
Sheet composition:
50 (5*10) for Value 1, 3;
50 (10*5) for Value 2
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

J51 "International Archives Week" commemorative stamps were issued on November 26, 1979. The set consists of 3 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Sun Chuanzhe, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. 3-1 and 3-3 measure 40 mm × 30 mm, 3-2 measures 30 mm × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11 × 11.5, 50 stamps per sheet.

Theme of the Set

The International Council on Archives initiated International Archives Week, advocating that the whole society value the preservation of archives and carry forward historical documents. This set selects China's ancient imperial archive repositories and the modern National Archives, contrasting ancient and modern, displaying the long historical inheritance and contemporary development of China's archival undertakings, and embodying the value of archives in preserving historical materials and guarding the memory of civilization.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Central Archives

The design shows the exterior of the main building of the Central Archives, with the name of the institution inscribed by Zhou Enlai hung high above the building, green lawns in front of the building, and blue sky as the background. The Central Archives is an important institution in China for preserving the core archives and documents of the Party and the state, representing the modern archival undertaking.

Huangshicheng · Golden Cabinet

The main subject of the design is the golden cabinet—a gilded bronze cabinet for storing imperial archives—placed on a red background. The golden cabinet was a special vessel used in the Ming and Qing dynasties to store imperial veritable records and sacred instructions, and it is an important carrier of ancient archive preservation.

Main Hall of Huangshicheng · Stone Chamber

The design depicts the exterior of the main hall of Huangshicheng. This Ming dynasty beamless brick-and-stone building uses not a single piece of wood and is fireproof and moisture-proof; it is the most complete surviving ancient imperial archive repository in China and represents the model of ancient archival architecture.

Artistic Design Features

The three stamps, with horizontal and vertical formats paired, present a modern building, a cultural-relic vessel, and an ancient repository, forming a contrast of ancient and modern archival civilization. The style is realistic watercolor, with steady and dignified colors. The modern archives are bright and open, the golden cabinet is antique and weighty, and Huangshicheng, with its yellow tiles and red walls, has a rich imperial atmosphere. The photogravure printing is delicate, faithfully presenting the texture of buildings and artifacts. It is a rare archive-themed stamp set in China.