Scott No: 1525-26
Serial number: J39
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: October 30, 1979
Denomination: 12 fen
Designer: Liu Shuoren
Size of stamps: 40*30mm
Perforation: 11*11.5
Sheet composition: 50 (5*10)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

J39 "The Fourth Congress of Chinese Literary and Art Workers" commemorative stamps were issued on October 30, 1979. The set consists of 2 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Liu Renyi, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 31 mm × 52 mm, perforation gauge 11.5, 40 stamps per sheet.

Theme of the Set

The Fourth Congress of Literary and Art Workers was held in Beijing from October 30 to November 16, 1979, a landmark grand gathering of the literary and art circles. The congress re-established the direction of literature and art serving the people and serving socialism, ushering in a new period of emancipation of literary and artistic thought and recovery of literary and artistic creation. This set was issued to commemorate this grand gathering, wish literature and art to flourish with a hundred flowers blooming, and encourage the broad masses of literary and art workers to devote themselves to literary and artistic creation in the new period.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Spring of Literature and Art

The design takes blooming peonies as its main subject, with full and gorgeous blossoms. The peony symbolizes prosperity, implying that the garden of literature and art has welcomed a spring of a hundred flowers blooming.

Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom, Let a Hundred Schools of Thought Contend

At the center of the design is a fluttering red flag, surrounded by symbols of various literary and artistic categories: staff notation, paintbrushes, play scripts, opera facial makeup, dancing silk, and books, representing literature, music, fine arts, drama, dance, and many other literary and artistic categories, interpreting the policy of "let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend."

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical long stamp format and a decorative style, with bright, festive colors. The first stamp expresses feeling through the imagery of peonies, gentle and gorgeous; the second gathers various literary and artistic symbols, with strong generalization and a clear theme. The two stamps, one soft and one firm, echo each other. The photogravure printing has warm, saturated colors. It is a classic work among literary and artistic-themed stamps of the new period.