Scott No: 2266-9
Serial number: T148
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: March 12, 1990
Denomination: 68 fen
Designers: Sun Jingzhong
Size of stamps: 40*27mm
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 50 (10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

The special stamp set Greening the Motherland, catalog number T148, was issued on March 12, 1990. It consists of four stamps, produced using the photogravure process. The stamps measure 40×27 mm, with a perforation gauge of 11 degrees. Each sheet contains 50 stamps (5×10). The stamps were designed by Sun Jingzhong and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works.

Thematic Focus of the Set

This stamp set was issued on Arbor Day. From four dimensions—nationwide participation, urban environment, wind and sand control, and agriculture-forestry symbiosis—it presents the layout of China's national land greening efforts, advocates tree planting and ecological protection, embodies the concept that ecological construction and production development complement each other, and calls on society to jointly participate in the action to green the motherland.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Nationwide Voluntary Tree Planting

The main subject is layer upon layer of tree saplings, paired with the China Arbor Day emblem. Nationwide voluntary tree planting is an important measure in China's ecological construction, mobilizing the broad masses to participate in afforestation and lay a solid green foundation.

Urban Greening and Beautification

The image shows modern urban buildings surrounded by rivers, lakes, and green trees. It reflects urban landscape construction, using greenery to improve the living environment and create livable urban ecological spaces.

Building the Green Great Wall

The image presents shelterbelts. Layered forests block desert wind and sand. It corresponds to the Three-North Shelterbelt Project, building an ecological barrier against wind and sand and for soil and water conservation.

Lush Forests and Bountiful Harvests

The image shows forests connected to farmland. Forests conserve soil and water, ensuring stable agricultural production. It expresses that forestry protects agriculture and that forestry and agriculture develop in coordination, achieving a win-win for ecological and economic benefits.

Artistic and Design Features

The set uses a simple and modern decorative painting style, with different shades of green as the main color. The compositions are concise and generalized, and each stamp bears the Arbor Day emblem. The forms are geometric and the color blocks are clean and bright, without complex realistic details. The theme is intuitive and easy to understand, fresh and contemporary. The four images have a coherent logic, fully presenting the different directions of national land greening.