Scott No: -
Serial number: 2009-10
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: June 1, 2009
Denomination: 440 fen
Designer: Song Zhiwei, Liu Ru, Song Zhiwei, Sun Pengyan
Size of stamps:
30 * 40 mm for Value 1, 3;
40 * 30 mm for Value 2, 4
Perforation:
13.5 * 13 for Value 1, 3;
13 * 13.5 for Value 2, 4
Sheet composition: 20
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Special Stamps Bless Our Motherland (2009-10) were officially issued on June 1, 2009 (International Children’s Day), as part of a series of philatelic products marking the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The set contains four stamps with face values of 80 fen, ¥1.20, ¥1.20 and ¥1.20 respectively, bringing the total face value of the full set to ¥4.40. A self-adhesive booklet numbered (37)2009 was released simultaneously at a retail price of ¥8.80. The original paintings for the stamps were created by young artists Song Zhiwei, Liu Ru, Song Zhiwei and Sun Pengyan. Li Wei designed the booklet and sheet marginal decorations, and the stamps were printed in photogravure by Beijing Stamp Printing Factory.

The year 2009 marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China. This set of stamps adopts paintings by children and teenagers, conveying sincere blessings for the motherland from a juvenile perspective. Centering on four major themes — patriotism, happy life, aspiration for peace and pursuit of science, the stamps employ childlike artworks to showcase the spirit of contemporary teenagers who love their motherland, yearn for peace, cherish life and advocate science. They embody young people’s heartfelt wishes for the prosperity of the nation. It is also a rare National Day themed set among chronological stamps featuring paintings created by children.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Love My China

The design features children dressed in ethnic costumes with Tiananmen Square in the background, rendered in rich and festive colours. The painting expresses the sincere devotion of young people of all ethnic groups to their motherland, highlighting ethnic unity and patriotism.

Love Peace

The artwork depicts several children cheering as they look up at fluttering white doves. As a timeless symbol of peace, the doves represent children’s sincere wish for global tranquillity and harmonious coexistence among all peoples.

Happy Life

The picture shows children of all ethnic groups gathering hand in hand amid sunflower fields. Sunflowers symbolize vitality, reflecting the happy, stable and colourful daily life of youngsters in the new era.

Love Science from an Early Age

The illustration portrays a child astronaut alongside a colourful manned spacecraft, set against the starry sky and planet Earth. It reflects children’s imagination about space exploration, their admiration for science and ambition to explore the unknown, echoing the vigorous development of China’s aerospace industry.

Artistic Design Features

The layout alternates two vertical and two horizontal stamp shapes, recreating the free and lively composition typical of children’s paintings. The designs retain the simple, naive brushstrokes and highly saturated, vivid hues of juvenile artwork, brimming with childlike charm.
The thematic progression is well-structured: patriotism, pursuit of peace, happy life and scientific aspirations build on one another to fully depict the demeanour of young people in the new era.
Distinctive format: The matching self-adhesive booklet differentiates it from ordinary paper stamp sets, granting it high recognisability among collectors.
Unique subject matter: It is one of the few special stamps for major National Day themes in China that feature original artwork created by children and teenagers, boasting both commemorative value and distinctive juvenile artistic characteristics.

Serving as a prelude stamp set for the 60th National Anniversary, this children’s painting themed issue is scarce in the philatelic market. It has two mainstream formats: the paper set and the self-adhesive booklet. Ideal for thematic collections focusing on children’s art, National Day commemoration and youth themes, it is often assembled together with Stamps The 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China (2009-25) in stamp exhibits.