Scott No: 1527-29
Serial number: T36
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: October 30, 1979
Denomination: 24 fen
Designer: Jiang Weijie, Li Qingfa
Engraver: Jiang Weijie, Li Qingfa
Size of stamps: 40*30mm
Perforation: 11*11.5
Sheet composition: 50(5*10)
Printing process: Engraving and photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T36 "Railway Construction" special stamps were issued on October 30, 1979. The set consists of 3 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Jiang Weijie and Li Qingfa, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 40 mm × 30 mm, perforation gauge 11 × 11.5, 50 stamps per sheet.

Theme of the Set

Railways are the main artery of the national economy. This set selects typical engineering scenes from railway construction, showcasing the achievements of China's railway engineering construction, recording the construction appearance of railway workers who "open roads when they meet mountains and build bridges when they meet water," reflecting the vigorous development of China's railway undertakings in the 1970s, and carrying the vision of accelerating transportation construction and supporting national modernization.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

New Railway Line

The design shows a newly built railway extending into the distance, with a train traveling through the mountains and fields, undulating mountains in the distance, and rows of power transmission towers, embodying the construction achievement of newly built railways connecting mountain areas and opening up transport channels.

Railway Bridge

A magnificent railway bridge spans a river, a train speeds across the bridge, the river flows on, and the bridge piers are solid, expressing the key role of bridge engineering in railway construction and highlighting the strength of infrastructure.

Electric Locomotive

The main subject of the design is an electric locomotive speeding forward, with catenary wires erected above the line, representing the upgrading of railway power and displaying the development direction of electrified railways.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a horizontal composition and a realistic engineering painting style, with an expansive and grand picture and steady, weighty tones. The three stamps correspond respectively to new lines, bridges, and electric locomotives, covering the three dimensions of lines, bridges and tunnels, and power upgrading, completely presenting the different links of railway construction. The photogravure printing has solid layers and hard, crisp lines, full of the sense of power of industrial construction. It is a representative work among industrial and transportation-themed stamps of the JT period.