Scott No: 828-832
Serial number: S70
Values in set: 5
Date of issue: May 25, 1965
Denomination: 40 fen
Designer: Wan Weisheng
Engraver: Sun Hongnian, Gao Pinzhang, Kun Shaohui
Size of stamps: 27.5*48mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Engraving and photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

S70 "Chinese Mountaineering" special stamps were issued on May 25, 1965. The set consists of 5 stamps, printed by photogravure combined with engraving, designed by Wan Weisheng, engraved by Sun Hongnian, Gao Pinzhang, and Kong Shaohui, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 31 mm × 52 mm, perforation gauge 11.5, 50 stamps per sheet (10 × 5), each stamp with a face value of 8 fen, with a total face value of 0.40 yuan for the set, and a circulation of 6 million copies each.

Theme of the Set

In the 1950s and 1960s, Chinese mountaineers successively challenged a number of high-altitude snow mountains, setting climbing records one after another and attracting attention in the world mountaineering community. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this special set, selecting five milestone summit expeditions, recording the mountaineers' deeds of fearing no severe cold and overcoming ice avalanches, oxygen deficiency, and numerous other dangers to bravely scale the peaks, displaying the brilliant achievements of New China's mountaineering cause, and carrying forward the climbing spirit of fearing no hardships and fighting tenaciously.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions Mountaineering Team Summits Gongga Mountain

The design shows mountaineers roped together climbing upward along steep ice-and-snow rock faces, connected to one another by ropes and advancing one after another. Gongga Mountain is located in Sichuan and rises more than 7,500 meters, with perilous terrain. On June 13, 1957, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions mountaineering team successfully summited Gongga Mountain—the first 7,000-meter-class peak climbed by an independently organized Chinese team.

The Chinese Mixed Men's and Women's Team Summits Muztagh Ata

In the picture the climbing team travels a long distance across a vast, gentle snowfield, advancing toward the towering snow peak in the distance. Muztagh Ata is known as the "Father of Ice Mountains" and is located on the Pamir Plateau. On July 7, 1959, the mountaineering team composed of both men and women successfully summited, setting the then world altitude record for women's mountaineering.

The Chinese Mountaineering Team Summits Mount Everest

In the distance of the design is the majestic, towering body of Everest, and the mountaineers advance through a glacier zone. On May 25, 1960, the Chinese mountaineering team successfully summited Mount Everest from the north slope, achieving the first human ascent from Everest's north slope—an epoch-making achievement in the history of world mountaineering.

The Chinese Women's Mountaineering Team Summits Kongur Tiube

The design depicts team members setting up a high-altitude camp near a glacier crevasse, with white tents standing out strikingly among the mountains. On June 17, 1961, the Chinese women's mountaineering team summited Kongur Tiube, once again setting a new altitude record for women's mountaineering and highlighting the perseverance and courage of women climbers.

The Chinese Mountaineering Team Summits Shishapangma

The design shows mountaineers advancing in coordination across steep mixed ice-and-rock terrain. Shishapangma is the only 8,000-meter-class peak entirely within Chinese territory. On May 2, 1964, the Chinese mountaineering team successfully summited, completing the first human ascent of this peak.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical long stamp format, suited to expressing the majestic, towering momentum of high mountains. A narrow strip of blue sky is left at the top of each design, and a large area is used to spread out the snow mountains and glaciers, creating the visual impression of looking up in awe at the high mountains. The photogravure-plus-engraving process has a clear division of labor: the engraved plates finely depict the outlines and postures of rocks, ice patterns, and mountaineers, while the photogravure plates lay down cool-toned ice-and-snow colors, with rich layers and a strong biting texture of ice and snow. The whole set uses a realistic style to record real mountaineering events, with each stamp marked with the summit date, combining pictorial documentation with historical value.