Scott No: 3160
Serial number: 2001-28
Values in set: 1 (souvenir sheet)
Denomination: 8.00 yuan
Date of issue: 29th December 2001
Designer: Yan Bingwu, Yang Wenqing
Size of S/S stamp: 81*38 mm
Size of S/S: 135*114mm
Printing process: gravure
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

This commemorative souvenir sheet, Commemoration of the Commencement of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, was issued on December 29, 2001. It consists of one souvenir sheet with a face value of 8.00 yuan. The designers are Yan Bingwu and Yang Wenqing, with photography by Yuan Ruilun. It was printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process. This souvenir sheet commemorates the official commencement of the Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. It is the first commemorative philatelic item for a landmark project of the Western Development Strategy in the new century, capturing the important historical moment when plateau railway construction began and bearing witness to the magnificent project of building a steel passage to the Roof of the World.

The Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway starts from Golmud in Qinghai in the north and reaches Lhasa in Tibet in the south, with a total length of 1,142 kilometers and 1,110 kilometers of newly built line. Construction officially began on June 29, 2001. The line traverses the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The section above 4,000 meters in elevation is 960 kilometers long, with the highest point at 5,072 meters. It passes through large areas of permafrost. The extreme cold, lack of oxygen, and complex geology made it the world's highest and longest plateau railway at the time. The project carries great significance for promoting economic development in the Qinghai-Tibet region, enhancing ethnic unity, and consolidating the border. Countless builders overcame the harsh natural environment and tackled difficulties to begin this road-building feat in a "life forbidden zone." This souvenir sheet integrates the construction scene, a route map, and iconic Qinghai-Tibet features, documenting the historic moment of the project's commencement.

Stamp Design and Historical Background

Commemoration of the Commencement of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

The main image of the stamp depicts Han and Tibetan engineering and technical personnel gathered on the plateau for on-site survey and discussion, with construction machinery beside them. Above the stamp is a schematic map of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway route, visually presenting the planned railway line from Golmud to Lhasa. The souvenir sheet border is rich in layers. The upper left corner features the Potala Palace, and the lower right corner features Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai. The background shows the Tanggula Snow Mountains, vast plateau grasslands, and sheep. The four corners have blue, red, yellow, and green borders, echoing the regional character of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Potala Palace and Kumbum Monastery represent the cultural landmarks of Tibet and Qinghai respectively, symbolizing that the project connects the two provinces and promotes ethnic exchange and integration. The snow mountains and grasslands depict the harsh and magnificent plateau environment of the project, symbolizing the builders' determination to challenge limits and build a sky road on the snowy plateau.

Artistic and Design Features

The souvenir sheet uses a design method combining actual photography with scenic illustrations. The images are grand and expansive, with a strong sense of realism, combining documentary value with artistic appeal. The photogravure printing provides rich color layers, accurately reproducing the clear blue sky, snow mountains, and grasslands of the plateau, with clear details of figures, buildings, and landforms. The main stamp and border are organically integrated, coordinating the construction site, route map, landmarks of the two regions, and plateau ecological landscape in the same image, creating a complete and substantial narrative. This set is a commemorative souvenir sheet on the theme of major projects, western development, and snowy plateau construction, suitable for thematic collections on China's railway construction, Tibet's development, and major infrastructure.