Scott No: 1853-1856
Serial number: T86
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: June 1, 1983
Denomination: 32 fen
Designer: Cheng Chuanli
Size of stamps: 30*40mm
Perforation: 11.5*11
Sheet composition: 50 (10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T86 "Selected Children's Paintings" special stamps were issued on June 1, 1983. The set consists of 4 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Cheng Chuanli, with original paintings by four young ethnic minority artists, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. They were issued to celebrate International Children's Day on June 1.

Theme of the Set

This set selects original paintings by four children of different ethnic groups, presenting the pure and innocent inner world of children, recording the beautiful things seen through the eyes of children in the 1980s, embodying the carefree and happy growth of children of all ethnic groups, and at the same time displaying the artistic talent of ethnic minority children.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Scratching Mother's Itch

The original painting is by the Zhuang child Wang Yani. The image shows two mischievous monkeys: the larger monkey sits upright, and the smaller one reaches out to scratch the larger one's itch—full of childlike charm, a vivid expression of a child observing small animals and feeling warmth.

I Love the Great Wall

The original painting is by the Hui child Liu Zhong. The rolling Great Wall coils across the mountains, red flags flutter, and groups of children run beneath the Great Wall, carrying the child's sincere feeling of loving the motherland's mountains and rivers.

Kitty

The original painting is by the Maonan child Tan Axi. A small black cat sits quietly, its round, bright eyes lively and expressive, with a concise and plain form—an image of a small animal loved by children.

The Sun, the Birds, the Flowers, and Me

The original painting is by the Han child Bu Hua. The picture is passionately colorful and rich: the sun hangs high, birds and flowers surround, and a little girl stands among the flowers, full of love for sunshine and nature and full of innocent, romantic imagination.

Artistic Design Features

The set preserves the naive brushstrokes of children's original paintings, without deliberate polishing; the style is innocent and plain. The four works come from young artists of the Zhuang, Hui, Maonan, and Han ethnic groups respectively. The colors are vivid and bright, the imagination free, and the innocent charm of children's paintings is preserved in its original flavor. It is a uniquely distinctive set among children's-themed stamps of the 1980s.