Scott No: -
Serial number: 2018-19
Values in set: 5
Date of issue: July 29, 2018
Denomination: 600 fen
Designer: Meng Fansong
Size of stamps: 30* 40 mm
Perforation: 13.5
Sheet composition: 16
Sheet Size: 150 * 200 mm
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Works

"Modern National Heroes" is a set of commemorative stamps issued by China Post on July 29, 2018. The full set contains 5 stamps with a total face value of 6.00 yuan. The designs feature five historical figures in sequence: Guan Tianpei, Lin Zexu, Feng Zicai, Liu Yongfu, and Deng Shichang. Each stamp measures 30×40 millimeters and is printed using the photogravure process. It is equipped with anti-counterfeiting features including security paper, anti-counterfeiting ink, special-shaped perforations, and fluorescent coding. The full sheet consists of 16 stamps. The set was designed by Meng Fancong, with Liu Chang serving as the responsible editor, and printed by Beijing Stamp Factory.

After the Opium War of 1840, a large number of people with lofty ideals, represented by Lin Zexu and Guan Tianpei, showed unyielding perseverance and followed one after another in the struggle. They fought heroically against foreign aggression and oppression to safeguard national sovereignty and interests, thus becoming worthy national heroes.

Guan Tianpei (1781-1841)

A native of present-day Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, Guan Tianpei was a patriotic military general in the Qing Dynasty. During his tenure as the Admiral of the Qing Navy in Guangdong, he fully supported Lin Zexu in the destruction of opium at Humen. After the outbreak of the Opium War, British troops invaded the Humen fortress. Guan Tianpei took the lead in the battle, leading the defending forces in resolute resistance, and finally sacrificed his life heroically.

Lin Zexu (1785-1850)

Hailing from present-day Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, Lin Zexu was a great patriot in modern Chinese history. In 1839, he went to Guangdong to ban opium, and finally publicly destroyed all the seized opium—nearly 20,000 chests, approximately 1.185 million kilograms—at Humen. Lin Zexu once compiled foreign books and materials such as Sizhou Zhi (A Record of the Four Continents), breaking through the constraints of the traditional concept of "Hua (China) and Yi (foreigners)" and initiating the learning of Western knowledge.

Feng Zicai (1818-1903)

Born in Shawei Village, Qinzhou, Guangdong (now part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Feng Zicai was a patriotic military general in the late Qing Dynasty who resisted French aggression. During the Sino-French War, Feng Zicai, nearly 70 years old, was appointed as the Assistant Administrator of Military Affairs Outside the Passes in Guangxi. He inflicted heavy losses on the invading French army, achieved victory in the Battle of Zhennanguan (Now Friendship Pass), and captured important towns such as Wenyuan and Lang Son.

Liu Yongfu (1837-1917)

A native of Qinzhou, Guangdong (now part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Liu Yongfu was a patriotic military general in the late Qing Dynasty who fought against French and Japanese aggression. In 1883, Liu led the Black Flag Army to participate in the Sino-French War and defeated the French army repeatedly. During the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), he was ordered to lead the Black Flag Army to Taiwan to resist Japanese invasion. After Taiwan fell to Japanese occupation, Liu Yongfu continued to lead the Taiwanese people in resisting Japan as the leader of the anti-Japanese alliance.

Deng Shichang (1849-1894)

Born in Panyu, Guangdong (with ancestral roots in Dongguan), Deng Shichang was a patriotic naval officer in the late Qing Dynasty. During the First Sino-Japanese War, he served as the captain of the Zhiyuan, a warship of the Beiyang Fleet. On September 17, 1894, he fought bravely against the Japanese navy in the Battle of the Yellow Sea and finally sacrificed his life heroically.