Scott No: 3157-59
Serial number: 2001-27
Values in set: 3
Denomination: 4.40 yuan
Date of issue: 13th December 2001
Designer: Dai Honghai
Size of stamps: 50*30 mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 20
Printing process: gravure
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

This commemorative stamp set, 340th Anniversary of Zheng Chenggong's Recovery of Taiwan, was issued on December 13, 2001. It consists of three stamps with a total face value of 4.40 yuan. The designer is Dai Honghai. It was printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process. This commemorative stamp set honors the 340th anniversary of the national hero Zheng Chenggong's expulsion of Dutch colonists and recovery of Taiwan. It features three key historical scenes from before and after the recovery of the island, using traditional gongbi figure painting to recreate this major historical event that safeguarded national territorial integrity and to highlight Zheng Chenggong's enduring historical achievements.

Zheng Chenggong, originally named Zheng Sen, was a native of Nan'an, Fujian. He was a famous national hero of the late Ming Dynasty. He was granted the surname Zhu by Emperor Longwu of the Southern Ming and was known as "Lord of the Imperial Surname." In 1661, Zheng Chenggong led a large army from Kinmen, crossed the Taiwan Strait, and landed at Heliao Port in Taiwan. He besieged the Dutch colonial strongholds of Fort Zeelandia and Fort Provintia. After months of fierce fighting, he forced the Dutch colonists to surrender, and the island returned to the territory of the motherland. After recovering Taiwan, Zheng Chenggong established administrative systems, promoted land reclamation, taught advanced farming techniques, united with the Gaoshan compatriots, and vigorously developed and built Taiwan, promoting local social development. This stamp set features three representative historical scenes, presenting the complete historical sequence of the expedition, the welcome, and the development, commemorating the great feat of safeguarding national unity.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Majestic Spirit of the Min Sea

The stamp depicts the magnificent scene of Zheng Chenggong reviewing and training his naval forces in the waters off Xiamen. Warships stand in rows, banners flutter, and soldiers are neatly arrayed. Zheng Chenggong stands at the bow, heroic in posture, and the entire army is high in morale and united in purpose. It shows the ambition and momentum of the army ready to cross the strait and recover the island. This is the beginning of the campaign to recover Taiwan, reflecting Zheng Chenggong's heroic spirit of strategizing and vowing to recover the territory.

Welcoming the Army with Food and Drink

The stamp depicts the moving scene of the local people welcoming Zheng Chenggong's army with food and drink after their landing in Taiwan. The people are joyful and enthusiastic, welcoming the army that drove out the foreign invaders. It vividly recreates the joy of the island's people in escaping colonial oppression and returning to the embrace of the motherland, and再现s the historical scene of popular support and unity between the army and the people.

The Sun and Moon Shine Again

The stamp shows Zheng Chenggong after entering Taiwan, inspecting the local area, organizing land reclamation and development, communicating with Gaoshan compatriots, and promoting farming techniques. Recovering the territory was not the end. Zheng Chenggong encouraged agriculture and sericulture in Taiwan, stabilized people's livelihoods, opened up barren land, and gave Taiwan's society a completely new look. It symbolizes the recovery of the territory and the renewal of the land.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp set uses traditional gongbi (meticulous brushwork) and rich-color painting. The figures are dignified and majestic, with solid and rigorous lines, grand scenes, and a strong narrative sense. The photogravure printing provides rich layers, delicately reproducing the details of figures' clothing, banners, ships, and environmental scenery, with substantial and steady colors. The three stamps are arranged in historical sequence, from the oath-taking expedition, to the people welcoming the army, to construction and development, coherently and completely telling the entire process of Zheng Chenggong's recovery and development of Taiwan. This set is a commemorative issue on the theme of major historical events and national heroes, suitable for thematic collections on modern Chinese history, cross-strait history, and national heroes.