Scott No: 441-444
Serial number: C68
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: October 1, 1959
Denomination: 42 fen
Designer: Sun Chuanzhe
Size of stamps: 28*46mm
Perforation: 14
Sheet composition: 24(6*4)
Printing process:Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Issued on October 1, 1959, this commemorative set consists of four stamps, printed by offset lithography. Designed by Sun Chuanzhe and produced by the Beijing People’s Printing Works. Stamp size: 28mm × 46mm; perforation 14; sheet of 24 (6 × 4). Total face value of the set: ¥0.42. Denominations and print runs: National Emblem (Green Background), 4 fen, 6 million copies; National Emblem (Grey Background), 8 fen, 10 million copies; National Emblem (Blue Background), 10 fen, 4 million copies; National Emblem (Yellow Background), 20 fen, 4 million copies. The set has no gum.

Core Theme of the Set

This is the second of the five stamp series released for the tenth National Day anniversary, with the National Emblem of the People’s Republic of China as the unified main design. The national emblem is the official symbol of the state: the five stars stand for the great unity of the people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the cogwheel symbolises the working class, the grain ears represent the peasantry, and Tiananmen carries the nation’s historical memory. Issued to mark the tenth anniversary of the founding, the set solemnly manifests national sovereignty and embodies the nation’s wishes for celebration, peace and prosperity.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

National Emblem (Green Background)

The national emblem sits at the centre of the design. Above it reads the inscription “The 10th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China”, flanked by the years 1949–1959, set against a pale green background. Rendered strictly in the official prescribed form, the emblem serves as the legal insignia of the newly established people’s government.

National Emblem (Grey Background)

It shares exactly the same main design and text layout as the previous stamp, with a pale grey background. It corresponds to the ordinary domestic letter rate and has the largest print run in the set.

National Emblem (Blue Background)

The design remains unchanged, with a pale blue background in a calm, understated hue. Made for a higher postage tier, it had a noticeably smaller print run.

National Emblem (Yellow Background)

With the same design on a pale yellow ground, this is the highest-value stamp of the set, intended for international mail. Surviving examples are relatively scarce.

Artistic Design Features

All four stamps are vertical in format and offset-printed. They feature identical artwork, differentiated only by background colour. The composition is centrally symmetrical, with the national emblem as the visual focal point. The borders are plain and clean, the text neatly arranged, and the style grave and dignified, free of extraneous ornamentation. By pairing distinct background colours with a range of denominations, the set accommodates diverse domestic and international postal requirements. The 10-fen and 20-fen stamps had lower print runs and constitute the key varieties for collectors completing the set.