Scott No: -
Serial number: 2008-26
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: October 18, 2008
Denomination: 360 fen
Designer: Zhang Li
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 12 ( 4 sets )
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Liaoning Provice Shenyang Postage Stamp Printing Works

On October 18, 2008, the commemorative stamp "50th Anniversary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region" (catalog number 2008-26) was officially issued, marking the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1958. The set consists of three stamps with a total face value of 3.20 yuan, designed by Zhang Li, with sheet border design by Xia Jingqiu, and printed by Shenyang Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory in Liaoning Province using offset printing.

The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is one of China's five major ethnic autonomous regions, located on the southwestern coast, bordering ASEAN countries. Since its establishment in 1958, the people of all ethnic groups in the region have worked together, leveraging its geographical advantages to promote opening-up. The Beibu Gulf Economic Zone has steadily developed, and China-ASEAN cooperation has deepened. The stamps, arranged in three themes of celebration, cooperation, and development, present Guangxi's rich ethnic culture, its role as a gateway for opening-up to ASEAN, and its vibrant coastal economic development. They celebrate the harmonious coexistence and mutual support of all ethnic groups, document the region's development over fifty years, and highlight Guangxi's strategic value as a major sea passage for the southwest and a frontier for China-ASEAN cooperation.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background:

Celebration

Image: People of various ethnic groups in traditional costumes singing and dancing, with bronze drums, embroidered balls, and Guilin landscape silhouettes in the background.
Significance: Guangxi is known as the "sea of songs." The stamp reflects the happy and harmonious life of the people, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of the ethnic groups and symbolizing ethnic unity and prosperity.

Cooperation

Image: The main building is the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, with the Guangxi People's Hall in the background, and tropical flowers on both sides.
Significance: This is the permanent venue of the China-ASEAN Expo, serving as a key platform for multilateral economic, trade, and cultural exchange, representing Guangxi's deepening cooperation with ASEAN countries and its expanding opening-up.

Development

Image: A view of the Beibu Gulf port, with large cranes and ocean-going vessels, and coastal city buildings in the distance.
Significance: The Beibu Gulf is the most convenient sea passage for the southwest region. The stamp presents the thriving port logistics industry and the significant achievements of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone.

Artistic and Design Features:

The set features a uniform horizontal format, with the three stamps designed to connect and form a continuous scroll, providing a coherent narrative. The decorative painting style uses bright and rich colors, highlighting the region's southern character. The composition follows a clear logic: ethnic culture → international cooperation → coastal development, progressing from cultural to industrial themes. The offset printing provides good color saturation, with clear depictions of ethnic elements and modern architecture. The horizontal three-stamp continuous format is visually appealing and forms a series with the "50th Anniversary of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region" stamp issued in the same year.

This stamp set is a commemorative issue for the anniversary of an ethnic autonomous region, with a distinctive horizontal three-stamp continuous format. Available in stamp set and large sheet formats, collectors often pair it with other autonomous region commemorative stamps, such as those for Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet, making it an important item for thematic collections on ethnic regional development, ASEAN economic cooperation, and southwestern coastal development.