Scott No: 824-827
Serial number: C112
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: April 25, 1965
Denomination: 32 fen
Designer: Shao Bolin
Size of stamps: 27.5*22m
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 100(10*10)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

C112 "The 28th World Table Tennis Championships" commemorative stamps were issued on April 25, 1965. The set consists of 4 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Shao Bolin, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 27.5 mm × 22 mm, perforation gauge 11.5, 100 stamps per sheet (10 × 10), with the four stamps printed in a two-by-two block se-tenant format. All four stamps have a face value of 8 fen, with a total face value of 0.32 yuan for the set and a circulation of 5 million copies each.

Theme of the Set

The 28th World Table Tennis Championships were held in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, from April 15 to 25, 1965. At this event the Chinese table tennis team performed excellently, winning five championships in total, continuing the outstanding results of the previous two World Championships and arousing an enthusiastic response at home and abroad. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set on the closing day of the event, using the dynamic movements of players hitting the ball to freeze the competitive elegance of the table tennis athletes fighting bravely, commemorating this inspiring grand sports event, and displaying the vigorous and upward appearance of the national sport. This set is also a rare Ji-te set in New China's stamps issued as a complete block-of-four se-tenant.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Male Table Tennis Player

The male player in the design stands sideways, swinging his racket in a backhand push-block, with steady movements and full concentration on the incoming ball. The athlete wears a red sports suit, set against a pure dark green background, concisely highlighting the hitting posture. Below the stamp is printed the stamp title "The 28th World Table Tennis Championships."

Female Table Tennis Player

The female athlete raises her racket high in a forehand smash, with an extended posture and full explosive power. The red jersey stands out strikingly against the green background, capturing the moment of attack and expressing the intense rhythm of the contest.

Female Table Tennis Player

This stamp likewise shows a female player in a smashing posture, distinguished from the second stamp by the swing angle and limb dynamics: the arm is raised high, and the racket strikes downward with force, displaying the sharp attacking style of the female player.

Male Table Tennis Player

The male athlete strides forward and swings a forehand attack, with his body's center of gravity leaning forward, full of the dynamism of forward thrust, forming a contrast with the first stamp's more defensive, rally-oriented posture and enriching the movement variations of the whole set.

Artistic Design Features

All four stamps are of uniform size and are connected in a two-by-two block: separated, each is an independent design; joined, they form a complete block-of-four picture—an ingenious layout design. The pictures discard complicated background, trophies, venues, and other additional elements, using only a solid green background and placing the visual focus entirely on the players' dynamic racket swings. The forms are concise and generalized, and the lines are clean and crisp. The red-and-green color contrast is strong, with powerful visual impact, and it is a representative of the minimalist style of 1960s sports-themed stamps. The photogravure printing has bright, saturated colors and clear figure outlines.