Scott No: -
Serial number: 2012-18
Values in set: 5
Date of issue: August 1, 2012
Denomination: 600 fen
Designer: Li Yan
Size of stamps: 30 * 40 mm
Perforation: 13.5
Sheet composition: 16
Size of sheet: 150 * 210 mm
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Liaoning Provincal Postage Stamp Printing Works

On August 1, 2012, Army Day, the commemorative stamp set "Early Generals of the People's Army (III)" (catalog number 2012-18) was officially issued to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army and to honor the outstanding Red Army commanders who sacrificed their lives during the Agrarian Revolutionary War. The set consists of five stamps, each with a face value of 1.20 yuan, for a total face value of 6 yuan. The stamps were designed by Li Yan and printed by Shenyang Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory in Liaoning Province. Each stamp measures 30 mm × 40 mm, and was produced using the offset printing process, incorporating anti-counterfeiting paper, anti-counterfeiting ink, shaped perforations, and fluorescent spray codes. Each sheet contains 16 stamps. This set is the third in the "Early Generals of the People's Army" series of commemorative figure stamps.

The stamp set features five outstanding early generals of the People's Army who made significant contributions during the Agrarian Revolutionary War and died heroically. They include leaders of the Ningdu Uprising, founders of revolutionary base areas, and outstanding Red Army military commanders. The stamps commemorate the great achievements of these revolutionary martyrs, preserve the spirit of the Red Revolution, and continue the thematic commemorative focus of the early generals series.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background:

Zhao Bosheng (1897–1933)

Image: Half-length portrait of Zhao Bosheng.

History: A native of Huanghua, Hebei, he secretly joined the Communist Party of China in 1931 and led the Ningdu Uprising that same year, founding the Fifth Red Army Corps and serving as its Chief of Staff. He died heroically in battle during the fourth Counter-Encirclement Campaign in 1933.

Significance: A renowned senior Red Army commander and a key leader of the Ningdu Uprising.

Duan Dechang (1904–1933)

Image: Half-length portrait of Duan Dechang.

History: A native of Nanxian, Hunan, he was one of the main founders of the Western Hunan-Hubei Revolutionary Base Area and the Sixth Red Army, and excelled in guerrilla warfare. He was unjustly executed in 1933. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was posthumously awarded the First Martyr Certificate of the Republic and listed among the 36 military strategists.

Significance: An outstanding Red Army military strategist and founder of the Honghu Soviet Area.

Xie Zichang (1897–1935)

Image: Half-length portrait of Xie Zichang.

History: A native of Anding, Shaanxi (now Zichang City), he was a main founder of the Red Army and the revolutionary base in northern Shaanxi, leading armed struggles in the Northwest for an extended period. He died in 1935 from old battle wounds.

Significance: A key founding figure of the Northwest Revolution and one of the founders of the Northern Shaanxi Red Army.

Zeng Zhongsheng (1900–1935)

Image: Half-length portrait of Zeng Zhongsheng.

History: A native of Zixing, Hunan, he was a principal leader of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area and a distinguished military theorist who authored several military works for the Red Army. He was persecuted and died during the Long March in 1935.

Significance: An outstanding Red Army commander and military theory researcher.

Dong Zhentang (1895–1937)

Image: Half-length portrait of Dong Zhentang.

History: A native of Xinhe, Hebei, he co-led the Ningdu Uprising and served as the commander of the Fifth Red Army Corps, leading its rearguard during the Long March. He died heroically in battle at Gaotai in 1937.

Significance: Commander of the Fifth Red Army Corps and a renowned Red Army general.

Artistic and Design Features:

Artistic Expression: The stamps uniformly adopt a black-and-white realistic portrait style, simple and solemn, highlighting the resolute character of the revolutionary martyrs.

Layout: The series title "Early Generals of the People's Army (III)" is printed vertically on the left, with the years of birth and death noted below, creating a consistent and orderly composition.

Tone and Texture: The background uses fine dot patterns to evoke the vintage texture of historical black-and-white photographs. The five stamps are unified in format, creating a strong series identity.

This stamp set is the concluding issue of the "Early Generals of the People's Army" series, featuring well-known martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the Agrarian Revolutionary War. It is an important piece for red-themed and historical figure collections, complementing the previous two sets in the series. Issued on Army Day, this set offers a complete collection value within the military and revolutionary martyr philatelic categories.