Scott No: 267-268
Serial number: S36
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: December 15, 1955
Denomination: 28 fen
Designer: Liu Shuoren
Engraver: Tang Linshen
Size of stamps: 26*38mm
Perforation: 14
Sheet composition: 80(10*8)
Printing process: Engraving
Printing House: Beijing People's Printing Works

C34 "85th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" commemorative stamps were issued on December 15, 1955. The set consists of 2 stamps, printed by engraving, engraved by Tang Linkun, and printed by the Business Branch of the Beijing People's Printing Factory. Stamp size 26 mm × 38 mm, perforation gauge 14, 80 stamps per sheet (10 × 8), with a total face value of 0.28 yuan for the set, without gum throughout the set. The original paintings are works by the Soviet painter Vasiliev.

Theme of the Set

Lenin was the revolutionary mentor of the proletariat and the founder of the world's first socialist state. 1955 marked the 85th anniversary of Lenin's birth. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set to honor Lenin, remember his great contributions to the international proletarian revolutionary movement, and reflect the era's background of Sino-Soviet unity and the socialist camp joining hands.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Portrait of Lenin (8 fen)

Circulation 7 million copies. The main subject is a half-length portrait of Lenin, with a calm and resolute expression; above the stamp are marked "1870–1955" and the stamp title, and at the bottom is printed the inscription "China People's Post."

Portrait of Lenin (20 fen)

Circulation 5 million copies. The portrait, composition, and text are completely identical to the previous stamp, differing only in face value, and it was used for higher-rate postal services such as international letters.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical format and engraving; the two stamps share the same design in different colors, and the engraved lines are fine and solid, faithfully restoring the original work and expressing Lenin's calm, profound temperament. This is a classic early old Ji-te set on the theme of Lenin in New China, with a dignified, condensed portrait and a distinct imprint of the times.