Scott No: 2088-90
Serial number: J138
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: April 28, 1987
Denomination: 48 fen
Designers: Yang Yunfei, Li Guijun, Shi Liang
Size of stamps: 30*40mm
Perforation: 11.5*11
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

J138 "90th Anniversary of the Birth of Comrade Ye Jianying" commemorative stamps were issued on April 28, 1987. The set consists of 3 stamps, printed by photogravure, with a stamp size of 40 × 30 mm, perforation gauge 11.5, and 50 stamps per sheet (5 × 10). Designed by Yang Keshan and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.

Theme of the Set

Ye Jianying was a great proletarian revolutionary and military strategist and a founding marshal. He played an extremely crucial role during the Long March, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the War of Liberation, and at turning points in history, showing far-sightedness and the ability to turn the tide. This set selects his images from three periods—youth, middle age, and old age—linking together his magnificent life and honoring his immortal achievements for the cause of the Party and the people.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Eventful Years

The image is a portrait of Ye Jianying during the Red Army period, with a resolute and calm expression. During the Long March, he reported in time at a critical moment and made outstanding contributions to defending the Party Central Committee.

Founding Marshal

The image shows Ye Jianying in marshal's ceremonial uniform, with a composed bearing. After the founding of New China, he shouldered heavy responsibilities in army building and national defense, working diligently for the modernization of the people's army.

Green Mountains Everywhere

The image shows Ye Jianying in his later years, with green mountains and rosy clouds in the background, taken from his poetic line "Green mountains fill the view, lit by the evening glow." It embodies his broad-mindedness of growing stronger with age and keeping the homeland in his heart.

Artistic Design Features

The set adopts a realistic portrait painting style. The three portraits unfold in sequence according to the chronology of his life, with tones shifting from cold and severe to weighty and then to warm and gentle. The figures are vividly depicted, the backgrounds concise and restrained, and the poetic imagery sets off the later-years portrait. It is dignified and profound, full of reverence.