Scott No: 1814-1815
Serial number: J87
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: November 16, 1982
Denomination: 28 fen
Designer: Li Yinqing
Size of stamps: 30*40mm
Perforation: 11.5*11
Sheet composition: 50 (10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

J87 "90th Anniversary of the Birth of Guo Moruo" commemorative stamps were issued on November 16, 1982. The set consists of 2 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Li Yinqing, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.

Theme of the Set

Guo Moruo was an outstanding Chinese writer, poet, historian, archaeologist, and paleographer, as well as a famous social activist. This set commemorates the 90th anniversary of Guo Moruo's birth, showcasing his brilliant achievements in literature, historiography, archaeology, and many other fields, and honoring his enormous contributions to the development of new culture, scientific research, and cultural undertakings.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Portrait of Guo Moruo

The image is the standard half-length portrait of Guo Moruo, with a calm and refined expression. In his early years he devoted himself to the New Culture Movement, and The Goddesses is a landmark romantic work in the history of China's new poetry.

Guo Moruo at Work

The image depicts Guo Moruo leaning over his desk holding a brush, with bamboo slips and scrolls in the background. He achieved abundant results in the study of oracle bone script and bronze inscriptions, and at the same time devoted himself over the long term to cultural construction and international cultural exchange.

The bottom of both stamps is uniformly decorated with a phoenix pattern, taken from The Nirvana of the Phoenix, echoing his classic poem and implying the destruction of the old and the establishment of the new.

Artistic Design Features

Using historical photographs as the basis, the set adopts a light-color portrait painting style, with a dignified and simple composition. One stamp is the standard portrait, the other a scene of him studying at his desk; paired with the phoenix decoration, they ingeniously echo his literary works. It is refined and weighty, and a classic commemorative stamp on the theme of cultural celebrities.