Scott No: -
Serial number: 2022-20
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: September 7th, 2022
Denomination: 480 fen
Designer: Li Chen
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 16
Size of sheet: 230 * 150 mm
Printing process: Offset and Engraving
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post scheduled the issuance of a set of 4 commemorative stamps themed "Modern Chinese Scientists (IX)" on September 7, 2022. The stamps are respectively named after four scientists: Liu Dongsheng, Cheng Kaijia, Wu Wenjun, and Yuan Longping. The total face value of the complete set is 4.80 yuan.

On the journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, generations of scientists have cared deeply about the motherland and the people. They have overcome hardships and made selfless contributions, achieving extraordinary feats for the advancement of science and technology, the improvement of people’s lives, and the prosperity of the country. In the new era, there is an even greater need to inherit and promote the patriotic spirit of taking the fate of the nation as one’s own, and to carry forward the spirit of scientists rooted in patriotism.

Liu Dongsheng (1917-2008) was a geologist and a senior academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He made substantial achievements in scientific research fields such as vertebrate paleontology, Quaternary geology, environmental science and environmental geology, as well as Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and polar expeditions—especially in loess research. His work elevated China to the world’s leading position in Quaternary research and paleo-global change studies. He was awarded the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2003.

Cheng Kaijia (1918-2018) was a physicist and one of the pioneers in China’s nuclear weapon research. He made outstanding contributions to the development and testing of nuclear weapons, and initiated, planned, and led research in the new field of radiation hardening technology. He was also one of the founders of China’s research in the new field of directed-energy high-power microwaves. He published China’s first monograph on solid-state physics. He won the Special Prize of the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award in 1985, was awarded the "Two Bombs and One Satellite" Meritorious Medal in 1999, and received the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2013.

Wu Wenjun (1919-2017) was a mathematician whose major achievements lay in two fields: topology and mathematical mechanization. He played a connecting role in the development of topology. His research on characteristic classes and imbedding classes is internationally known in the mathematical community as "Wu’s Formula", "Wu’s Characteristic Classes", and "Wu’s Imbedding Classes", which are still widely cited by international peers to this day. He was conferred the national honorary title of "People’s Scientist" in 2019 and won the first State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2000.

Yuan Longping (1930-2021) was an agronomist and a world-renowned expert in hybrid rice breeding, known as the "Father of Hybrid Rice". His research on hybrid rice varieties from the 1960s to the 1970s provided a strong impetus for agricultural production, significantly increasing grain yields in mainland China and around the world. The rice research he led achieved repeated breakthroughs from the 1970s to the 2000s. He was awarded the "Medal of the Republic" in 2019 and won the first State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2000.

This set of stamps was designed by Li Chen, a professor at Luxun Academy of Fine Arts and Director of the Comic and Animation Art Committee of the Chinese Artists Association. Li Chen has designed many sets of commemorative and special stamps, including Modern Chinese Scientists (VIII), The 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and The 100th Anniversary of the 1911 Revolution. Using sketch-based realistic techniques, the stamps vividly and meticulously depict the classic images of the four modern scientists. The backgrounds of the stamps showcase the scientists’ research directions and achievements, resulting in a design with prominent subjects and clear layers.

The set of stamps adopts the combined offset and engraving printing process. Engraved by Hao Ou and Liu Bo, it was printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Co., Ltd.