Scott No: 1465-67
Serial number: T35
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: January 25, 1979
Denomination: 57 fen
Designer: Liu Shuoren
Size of stamps: 31*52mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 40(10*4)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T35 "Golden Pheasant" special stamps were issued on January 25, 1979. The set consists of 3 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Liu Shuoren, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 31 mm × 52 mm, perforation gauge 11.5, 40 stamps per sheet. The golden pheasant's scientific name is the red-bellied golden pheasant; it is a rare ornamental bird unique to China and a national second-class protected animal.

Theme of the Set

The red-bellied golden pheasant is a rare bird unique to China, mainly inhabiting the mountain forests of the Qinling and southwestern mountains. Its plumage is brilliant and gorgeous, and since ancient times it has been regarded as an auspicious bird. This set takes the red-bellied golden pheasant as its theme, presenting the pheasant's natural appearance through three different postures, aiming to popularize knowledge of rare birds among the public and arouse awareness of wildlife protection. It is a classic bird-themed stamp set of the early JT period.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Golden Pheasants among Bamboo and Rocks

The image shows a male and a female pheasant perched on mountain rocks. The male pheasant is brightly colored, with its long tail feathers spreading out and hanging down; the female is browner in plumage, restrained and elegant. The background is dotted with green bamboo and rocks, quiet and elegant, restoring the pheasant's normal state of resting in the mountain forest. The male-female contrast embodies the species' natural state.

Golden Pheasant Spreading Its Wings

The male pheasant spreads its wings in midair, with its red and yellow feathers clearly layered and a light, lively posture, as if about to take off from the forest. The background is paired with delicate branches and tender leaves, simple and transparent, highlighting the pheasant's expansive and unrestrained posture in flight.

Golden Pheasant Foraging

The pheasant lowers its head and walks slowly, foraging on the slope, with its long tail hanging down along the mountain's contour and a calm, quiet expression. The background is entwined with vines and branches and leaves, creating the native environment of the mountain forest and presenting the daily foraging scene of the pheasant.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical long stamp format, suited to expressing the pheasant's slender tail feathers. It uses a decorative fine-brush heavy-color style, with intense, saturated colors; the male pheasant's brilliant plumage is depicted in detail, and the feather textures are clear. The background scenery is simple and generalized, not overshadowing the main subject, with the visual focus concentrated on the pheasant itself. The three designs correspond respectively to perching, flying, and foraging—motion and stillness paired, with rich rhythm. The photogravure printing has strong color expressiveness. It is one of the most beautiful sets among New China's bird stamps.