Scott No: -
Serial number: 2013-27
Values in set: 1
Date of issue: October 15, 2013
Denomination: 240 fen
Designer: Jiang Weijie
Size of stamps: 30 * 40 mm
Perforation: 13.5
Sheet composition: 12
Sheet size: 152 * 170 mm
Printing process: Offset + Engraving
Printing House: Henan Postage Stamp Printing Works

On October 15, 2013, China Post officially issued the commemorative stamp set The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Comrade Xi Zhongxun with the serial number 2013-27, consisting of two stamps in total. The date marked exactly the 100th birth anniversary of Comrade Xi Zhongxun.

The two-stamp set carries an aggregate face value of 2.40 yuan, with each stamp valued at 1.20 yuan. Each stamp measures 30×40 millimeters, with a perforation gauge of 13.5 degrees. A full sheet contains 12 stamps and has an overall dimension of 152×170 millimeters. Produced by the Beijing Stamp Printing House, the stamps adopt offset-engraving combined printing technology. Four layers of anti-counterfeiting technology are integrated, including anti-counterfeit paper, anti-counterfeit ink, special-shaped perforations and fluorescent spray codes, which safeguard the stamps’ authenticity and collectible value.

Both stamps adopt realistic sketch techniques, utilizing delicate, vivid engraved lines to fully capture Comrade Xi Zhongxun’s resolute and firm temperament in both appearance and spirit. Rendered in a unified dark brown tone, the stamp designs exude a profound historical weight, perfectly matching the solemn theme of this commemorative issue.

Stamp 1: Xi Zhongxun Before the Liangdang Uprising

This stamp freezes the image of a young Xi Zhongxun on the eve of the 1932 Liangdang Uprising. In 1930, Xi Zhongxun was dispatched by the Party organization to carry out military work among Kuomintang troops. On April 2, 1932, together with Liu Zhidan and other Communists, he organized and launched the famous Liangdang Uprising in Liangdang County, Gansu Province. The uprising kicked off armed revolutionary struggles in Gansu and further expanded the political influence of the Communist Party of China across the Shaanxi-Gansu border and Northwest China. Xi Yuanping, son of Xi Zhongxun, once commented: "The Liangdang Uprising marked the start of my father’s independent leadership of armed struggle," and "It transformed him from an active Party member into a grassroots Party leader and military commander." Through the heroic bearing of the young revolutionary, this stamp reproduces Comrade Xi Zhongxun’s original revolutionary aspiration to devote his life to armed struggle without fear of sacrifice.

Stamp 2: Xi Zhongxun During His Tenure as Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee

This stamp portrays the poised image of Xi Zhongxun as he oversaw day-to-day work of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee in the new era of reform and opening up. At the Sixth Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in June 1981, Xi Zhongxun was additionally elected Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee. In September 1982, at the First Plenary Session of the 12th CPC Central Committee, he was elected Member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, taking charge of the Secretariat’s daily operations. During this period, he made outstanding contributions to redressing past wrongs, strengthening Party building in the new era, and breaking new ground in the united front work. The stamp embodies the demeanor of a seasoned statesman, conveying Comrade Xi Zhongxun’s unwavering dedication and wisdom in national governance.

As a national calling card, this set of commemorative stamps condenses Comrade Xi Zhongxun’s magnificent revolutionary career onto tiny stamp surfaces. The two stamps capture two pivotal stages of his life: youthful revolutionary combat and middle-aged state governance. They not only depict his complete journey from bloody revolutionary battles to national administration, but also highlight his extraordinary feats throughout the three major historical phases of China’s revolution, construction and reform.