Scott No: 850-854
Serial number: C114
Values in set: 5
Date of issue: August 25, 1965
Denomination: 52 fen
Designer: Zhang kerang, Wan Weisheng, Lu Tianjiao, Chen Xiaocun
Size of stamps: 26.5*36mm
Perforation: 11.5*11
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

C114 "China-Japan Youth Friendship Get-Together" commemorative stamps were issued on August 25, 1965. The set consists of 5 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Zhang Kerang, Wan Weisheng, Lu Tianjiao, and Chen Xiaocong, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 26.5 mm × 36 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11, 50 stamps per sheet. The face values are 4 fen, 8 fen, 8 fen, 10 fen, and 22 fen, with a total face value of 0.52 yuan for the set; circulations: 4 million copies for the 4-fen stamp, 6 million copies each for the two 8-fen stamps, 2 million copies for the 10-fen stamp, and 1.2 million copies for the 22-fen stamp.

Theme of the Set

The China-Japan Youth Friendship Get-Together was held in Beijing from August 25 to mid-September 1965. It was jointly initiated by the China-Japan Friendship Association, the All-China Youth Federation, and the All-China Students' Federation, with a large number of Japanese youth representatives coming to China to meet and exchange with Chinese youth. Against the background that China and Japan had not yet established diplomatic relations at the time, this get-together was an important activity of people-to-people friendly exchange between the two countries, carrying the wish of the youth of the two countries to enhance understanding, promote friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples, and safeguard peace in Asia. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set on the opening day of the get-together, recording the grand event through a series of continuous pictures and praising the strength of people-to-people friendship.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Welcome

The background of the design is Beijing Railway Station. Chinese and Japanese young women stand side by side, and Chinese youth present flowers to the visiting Japanese youth, displaying the scene of warmly welcoming guests from afar at the opening of the grand event and opening the prelude to the friendship get-together.

Unity Against Imperialism

In the design, Chinese and Japanese youth hold high slogans and raise their arms side by side, expressing the common voice of the youth of the two countries in opposing imperialism, striving for national independence, and safeguarding peace, and embodying the common demands of the youth of the two countries for united struggle at the time.

Friendship

With the majestic Great Wall as the background, two Chinese and Japanese young women lean close together with smiles. The Great Wall is both a symbol of China and implies long-lasting and solid friendship, highlighting the sincere friendship and mutual understanding of the Chinese and Japanese youth.

Get-Together

In the design a group of Chinese and Japanese youth gather joyfully; someone plays the accordion and everyone sings loudly, with a cheerful and enthusiastic atmosphere, vividly recreating the scene of song, dance, and joyful gathering during the get-together activities.

Emblem

The main subject of the design is the exclusive emblem of this China-Japan Youth Friendship Get-Together: two overlapping petal forms, representing the youth of China and Japan respectively, concise and condensed. As the conclusion of the whole set, it freezes the symbol of this grand event.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical stamp format. The five stamps are laid out in the order of welcoming guests, common demands, friendship, joyful gathering, and the emblem, with a coherent and complete narrative. The style is bright and lively, the figures young and vivid, and the colors bright and saturated, with the typical poster style of the 1960s. The photogravure printing has soft layers, and the color transitions of the figures' faces and clothing are natural. The set spans a wide range of face values; among them, the 22-fen emblem stamp has the smallest circulation and was mostly used for international mail, making it the key stamp of the set and the most difficult to collect.