Scott No: 2289-90
Serial number: J169
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: July 10, 1990
Denomination: 28 fen
Designers: Li Qingfa, Jiang Weijie
Size of stamps: 40*30mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 50 (5*10)
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

The commemorative stamp set 60th Anniversary of the Issuance of Stamps in the Chinese People's Revolutionary War Period, catalog number J169, was issued on August 1, 1990. It consists of two stamps, produced using offset printing. The stamps measure 40×30 mm, with a perforation gauge of 12 degrees. Each sheet contains 50 stamps (5×10). The stamps were designed by Li Qingfa and Jiang Weijie and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works.

Thematic Focus of the Set

This stamp set adopts the stamp-within-a-stamp format to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the birth of stamps from the liberated areas. Stamps from the liberated areas during the Revolutionary War period were born in the difficult environment of base areas. They are precious relics of the red postal service, serving both as postage certificates for transmitting letters and as important revolutionary cultural relics. The stamps select two representative stamps from the Soviet areas, reviewing the history of red postal development and highlighting the unique historical position of liberated area stamps in the history of Chinese stamps.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Fujian-West Traffic General Bureau Red Postage Stamp

The stamp-within-a-stamp at the center is the Fujian-West Red Postage Stamp. Its main image is a five-pointed star, sickle, and hammer. It was an early red stamp issued in the Fujian-West Revolutionary Base Area and is a landmark stamp of the red postal service during the Agrarian Revolution.

Chinese Soviet Postal Soldier Stamp

The stamp-within-a-stamp at the center is the Chinese Soviet Postal Soldier Stamp. The design features a Red Army soldier holding a flag. It was issued by the Chinese Soviet Postal Administration and is a classic Soviet stamp of the Central Soviet Area.

Artistic and Design Features

The backgrounds of the two stamps feature green and red gradient mountain ranges, respectively, symbolizing the revolutionary base areas. The center faithfully reproduces the simple and antique format of the old area stamps. The outlines of the stamp-within-a-stamp are clear, and the layers between the new and old stamps are distinct. The colors are steady and simple, restoring the era's texture of the old area stamps. The design is dignified and combines philatelic historical value with red commemorative significance.