Scott No: -
Serial number: 2016-19
Values in set: 5
Date of issue: Oct 28, 2016
Denomination: 660 fen
Designer: Shi Yuan
Size of stamps: 30 * 50 mm
Perforation: 13.5
Sheet composition:
20 for Sheet I (4 Sets);
10 for Sheet II (2 Sets)
Size of sheet:
180 * 240 mm for Sheet I;
196 * 155 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Lighthouses stand by the water, symbolizing safety and guidance. They guide ships through dangerous headlands and remote islands, and rescue seafarers in times of distress. Playing a vital role in maritime safety, they bear witness to humanity’s history of “plowing the sea, herding the waves, and thriving through ocean exploration,” while also silently telling the story of China’s dream of becoming a maritime powerhouse.

China Lighthouses is a set of five special stamps issued by China Post on October 28, 2016. The stamps are named: Huayang Lighthouse, Chigua Lighthouse, Zhubi Lighthouse, Yongshu Lighthouse, and Meiji Lighthouse.

The stamp designs center on the lighthouse image, complemented by elements such as islands, ships, and ocean waves. The overall style is clean, elegant, and thematically focused. Dominated by blue and orange-red tones, the visuals are expansive, magnificent, and grand, highlighting the significance of Chinese lighthouses in providing maritime safety services to vessels from around the world.

The stamps showcase the large, modern, multi-functional lighthouses that have been built and put into operation in China since 2015. These lighthouses integrate the legacy of ancient lighthouses with modern navigation aid technologies, standing guard over key shipping routes. They represent the sustained development of China’s maritime safety services. The lighthouse towers are 50 to 55 meters tall, equipped with large modern lighting apparatuses with a range of 22 nautical miles. They are also outfitted with a variety of modern, information-based, and intelligent navigation aid equipment, providing public services such as route guidance, safety information, and emergency assistance to vessels of all nations. These lighthouses play a significant practical role in navigation safety, search and rescue, fisheries, marine development, and maritime disaster prevention and mitigation. In their architectural design, they fully incorporate traditional Chinese cultural elements, carrying rich humanistic and historical significance, and conveying to mariners worldwide China’s goodwill and desire for peace and friendship.

The stamp designs, centered on the lighthouse imagery with islands, ships, and waves as supporting elements, are clean and striking in composition. The blue and orange-red palette creates a broad, spectacular, and majestic atmosphere, effectively illustrating the crucial role of Chinese lighthouses in ensuring maritime safety for international shipping.