Scott No: 237-238
Serial number: C29
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: December 30, 1954
Denomination: 12 fen
Designer: Sun Chuanzhe
Engraver: Wu Pengyue, Kong Shaohui
Size of stamps:
27*38mm for Value 1;
58*31mm for Value 2
Perforation: 14
Sheet composition:
50(5*10) for Value 2
Printing process: Engraving
Printing House: Beijing People's Printing Works

C29 "The First National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China" commemorative stamps were issued on December 30, 1954. The set consists of 2 stamps, printed by engraving, designed by Sun Chuanzhe, engraved by Wu Pengyue and Kong Shaohui, and printed by the Business Branch of the Beijing People's Printing Factory. Stamp sizes: General Election measures 27 mm × 38 mm, 80 stamps per sheet; Celebrating the National People's Congress measures 58 mm × 31 mm, 50 stamps per sheet; perforation gauge 14, with the whole set in old RMB face values; General Election 400 yuan, circulation 6 million copies; Celebrating the National People's Congress 800 yuan, circulation 10 million copies, without gum throughout the set.

Theme of the Set

The First Session of the First National People's Congress was held in Beijing in September 1954. The session deliberated and adopted New China's first constitution, established the system of people's congresses as the fundamental political system, and elected the leading organs of the state; it was a milestone event in New China's construction of democracy and the rule of law. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set to commemorate this epoch-making session, display the brand-new political appearance of the people being masters of the country and exercising the right to vote, and record the historical moment when New China's socialist democratic system was formally established.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

General Election

The design depicts a woman worker casting her ballot into the ballot box, with the five-star red flag flying in the background and flowers surrounding her. The general election was the prerequisite foundation for the convening of the First National People's Congress; grassroots general elections were carried out nationwide, and ordinary laborers in all trades and professions obtained the equal right to vote, embodying New China's broad people's democracy. The picture uses the image of a laborer to intuitively interpret "all power belongs to the people."

Celebrating the National People's Congress

At the center of the design is the national emblem of the People's Republic of China, with people of all ethnic groups and all walks of life—workers, peasants, PLA soldiers, ethnic minorities—gathered on both sides, holding high flags to celebrate the convening of the grand session. The crowds are full and passionate, symbolizing that the people of the whole country are united with one heart and jointly support the system of people's congresses, bearing witness to the great beginning of the republic's constitutional construction.

Artistic Features

The set is printed by engraving; the lines are smooth and powerful, using a festive red main tone to set off a warm and dignified atmosphere. The two stamps, one vertical and one horizontal, have a striking contrast in format, with compositions full of tension. The pictures carry the style of early propaganda posters, with plain, vivid figures and rich layers of group portraits, without elaborate borders, relying on the light and shade of the engraving to shape the scene's appeal. It is a classic work among the early political-themed commemorative stamps of New China.