Scott No: -
Serial number: 2024-5
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: April 23th, 2024
Denomination: 480 fen
Designer: Shen Jiahong
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition:
16 for Sheet I;
8 (2 sets) for Sheet II
Sheet Size:
240 * 150 mm for sheet I;
236 * 126 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 4 special stamps titled China's Shipbuilding Industry (II) on April 23, 2024. The stamps feature four iconic vessels: the aircraft carrier Shandong, the Type 055 destroyer, China's first domestically built large cruise ship, and the world's first 23,000 TEU dual-fuel container ship. The total face value of the set is 4.80 yuan, with a planned circulation of 7.4 million sets of individual stamps and 900,000 sheetlets (Format 2).

Since the reform and opening-up, China's shipbuilding industry has been one of the country's earliest sectors to enter the international market and participate in global competition. Today, China has emerged as a world-influential major shipbuilding nation, with its products covering almost all vessel types on the market. Its R&D and design capabilities, technological craftsmanship, and management standards have been continuously enhanced. After more than 70 years of arduous efforts, China's shipbuilding industry has made significant contributions to national defense and national economic development, achieving remarkable and world-renowned achievements.

On December 17, 2019, China's first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Shandong, was officially commissioned in Hainan, marking the Chinese Navy's entry into the era of domestically produced aircraft carriers.

The Navy's Nanchang, commissioned in January 2020, is the lead ship of China's independently developed Type 055 destroyers and a typical representative of the Navy's new-quality combat capabilities.

The delivery of China's first large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, signifies that China has become one of the few countries capable of building the "three pearls of shipbuilding"—aircraft carriers, large LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers, and large cruise ships—simultaneously.

The world's first 23,000 TEU dual-fuel container ship was officially delivered in September 2020. The pioneering application of an LNG-powered dual-fuel system on an ultra-large container ship meets the world's strictest emission standards, significantly reducing environmental pollution compared to traditional fuel-powered container ships.

The stamps horizontally showcase China's brilliant achievements in the shipbuilding industry from perspectives such as maritime defense, ocean-going tourism, and maritime transportation. Despite the vast differences in the actual sizes of the four vessels, their hulls are depicted from coordinated angles and orientations to ensure visual unity on the stamps. Each main vessel is set against distinct sea landscapes, endowing the four stamps with fresh and rich colors while highlighting the unique visual characteristics of each ship. Printed using high-speed web offset presses, the stamps guarantee sharp image clarity and vivid color reproduction. The use of deep blue tones enhances the azure hue of the sea and enriches the overall picture saturation. The colorless fluorescent design adds a magical effect of shimmering light to the sea under ultraviolet light. High-precision frequency-modulated (FM) screening technology further improves printing quality, rendering intricate details with meticulous precision, thus demonstrating exceptional professional standards and artistic appeal.

This stamp set is designed by Shen Jiahong and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Co., Ltd. using offset printing technology.