Scott No: 3050
Serial number: 2000-16
Date of issue: August 26, 2000
Price of the whole set: 6 yuan
Standard of stamp: 50*30 mm
Designer of stamp : Yu Wanxi, Zhang Xuefeng
Perforation: 12
Sheets: 20
Process: Offset
Factory: Liaoning Shenyang Post Printing Factory

The special stamp set Construction of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was issued on August 26, 2000. It consists of five stamps with a total face value of 6.00 yuan. It was designed by Yu Wanxin and Zhang Xuefeng and printed by Shenyang Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory in Liaoning Province using offset printing. The set uses a horizontal five-stamp continuous format. The year 2000 marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The stamps feature five representative landmarks, showcasing Shenzhen's achievements in rising from a border town to a modern metropolis and interpreting the pioneering spirit of the special economic zone—daring to venture and dare to try.

As China's first special economic zone, Shenzhen is a window and testing ground for reform and opening-up. After twenty years of development and construction, the city has achieved comprehensive development in finance, high-tech industries, port logistics, cultural tourism and leisure, and industrial parks. The stamp set features five landmark areas, presented in sequence from the city's central business district, high-tech exhibition center, seaport hub, leisure tourism area, to the birthplace of entrepreneurship. It documents the vigorous construction of the special economic zone, highlights the tremendous changes brought by reform and opening-up, and promotes the pioneering spirit of innovation, hard work, and the "pioneering ox."

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Financial Center District

The stamp shows the city skyline of the Futian financial and business district in Shenzhen, with towering skyscrapers rising in clusters. This is the core financial area of Shenzhen, gathering numerous financial institutions. It represents the commercial and financial functions of a modern metropolis and bears witness to the rapid economic development of the special economic zone.

China Hi-Tech Fair Exhibition Center

The stamp presents the main building of the Hi-Tech Fair exhibition hall, with a modern and expansive design and lush flowers and trees in the plaza. The Hi-Tech Fair is a national-level high-tech exchange event. Its location in Shenzhen symbolizes the vigorous development of Shenzhen's high-tech industry and marks it as a highland of technological innovation.

Yantian Port Area

The stamp depicts a modern seaport terminal, with rows of giant container cranes and neatly arranged containers. Yantian Port is an important ocean-going container hub port in South China. It reflects the strong strength of Shenzhen's export-oriented economy and port logistics and bears witness to the takeoff of foreign trade.

Shenzhen Bay Tourism Area

The stamp depicts the Shenzhen Bay leisure and cultural tourism area, where distinctive buildings blend with the blue sea and green spaces, creating beautiful scenery. It integrates sightseeing, leisure, and vacation functions, showing that while developing its economy, the special economic zone is also building a livable urban environment, balancing urban development and quality of life.

Shekou Industrial Zone

The stamp shows the urban landscape of the Shekou area, with mountains and sea accompanying each other and buildings arranged in a scattered pattern. Shekou is the earliest industrial park of China's reform and opening-up. It is known as the birthplace of the special economic zone and the source of the Shekou spirit. It carries the historical memory of the special economic zone's initial daring to be first and taking the lead in opening-up.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp set uses realistic urban landscape painting, uniformly using a clear blue sky as the background, with bright and expansive colors. The offset printing provides stable colors and clear building outlines. The five stamps are printed in a horizontal continuous format, and the images can be connected to form a complete long scroll of the special economic zone's cityscape. Each stamp stands alone as a scene, and together they present a panoramic view of Shenzhen's diverse urban construction. The lower right corner uniformly features a silhouette of the "pioneering ox" sculpture, echoing the spirit of the special economic zone. It is a classic continuous-stamp work in the category of reform and opening-up urban construction.