Scott No: 456
Serial number: C71
Values in set: 1
Date of issue: October 1, 1959
Denomination: 20 fen
Designer: Dong Xiwen
Engraver: Tang Linshen
Size of stamps: 52*33mm
Perforation: 14
Sheet composition: 48(6*8)
Printing process: Engraving
Printing House: Beijing People's Printing Works

Issued on October 1, 1959, this commemorative set contains a single stamp, printed by recess engraving. Based on the original painting by Dong Xiwen, it was designed and engraved by Tang Linkun and produced by the Beijing People’s Printing Works. Stamp size: 52mm × 33mm; perforation 14; sheet of 48 (6 × 8). Face value: 0.20 yuan. The Founding Ceremony of the Nation, 20 fen, print run 3.5 million copies. The stamp has no gum.

Core Theme of the Set

This is the final instalment of the five commemorative stamp series for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. Modelled on the oil painting *The Founding Ceremony of the Nation*, it freezes the greatest historic moment of the birth of New China. While the preceding four series unfolded the theme through slogans, the national emblem, construction achievements and popular celebrations, this set traces back to the very beginning, recreating the grand founding ceremony and revisiting the starting point of the Republic. It draws a solemn and weighty close to the commemoration of the nation’s tenth birthday.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

The Founding Ceremony of the Nation

The image is adapted from Dong Xiwen’s iconic oil painting *The Founding Ceremony of the Nation*, reconstructing the historic scene on the Tiananmen Rostrum on 1 October 1949. On the rostrum stand leaders and representatives from all walks of life, facing an ocean of crowds gathered in the square. Palace lanterns hang aloft, and auspicious clouds stretch across the sky. The inscription “1949 The 10th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China 1959” at the bottom links the founding moment with the tenth anniversary across time.

Artistic Design Features

This single horizontal stamp is recess-engraved with delicate, firm lines that translate the rich gradations of the oil painting into engraved strokes. Rendered in monochrome red-brown, it carries a grave and dignified tone. The composition is vast and spacious; numerous figures are arranged in orderly fashion, preserving the epic grandeur of the original work. As the closing stamp of the tenth National Day series, it was selected among the Best Stamps of the 30th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic. With limited surviving examples, it ranks among the most famous and highly valued red classics of the early “Ji-Te” stamp series.