The first set of stamps to commemorate July 1st
Lu Yun
On July 23, 1921, the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China opened at No. 106 Wangzhi Road (now No. 76 Xingye Road) in Shanghai. Later, the delegates moved to Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province in batches, and held their last day of meeting on a pleasure boat. The congress officially announced the birth of the Communist Party of China.
After its founding in July 1921, the Chinese Communist Party remained in a state of secrecy. From 1924 to 1927, the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Kuomintang cooperated to lead the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolution. Because the Great Revolution was relatively short, and the Communist Party was busy with the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the workers' and peasants' movements, and the support of the Northern Expedition during the revolution, there was no condition to commemorate the birth of the Party. After the defeat of the Great Revolution, the Communist Party of China (CPC) persisted in the struggle amid the White Terror in a difficult war environment, and was not in a position to organize activities to commemorate the party's birthday.
In 1941, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China designated July 1 as the founding day of the party. After that, a celebration is held every year.
Pictured: Harbin Liberation
On April 28, 1946, the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China entered Harbin and established the people's democratic regime, making Harbin the first major city to be liberated in the country, and Harbin opened a new chapter in its history.
Figure: The former site of the Northeast Post and Telecommunications Administration, No. 100, Minyi Street, Nangang District, Harbin City. In 1922, the building was built as the office building of the Jihei Postal Administration. At that time, the Chunghwa General Post Office divided the Northeast into South Manchuria and North Manchuria, and the North Manchurian Postal District Management Office was located in Harbin, and in 1922 it was renamed Jihei Postal Administration, which was responsible for the postal affairs of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.
Under the leadership of the Northeast Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the North Manchurian Branch, on October 9, 1946, the Northeast Posts and Telecommunications Administration of the Liberated Areas was established to promote the recovery and development of postal services. In order to meet the growing demand for postal services after liberation, the Northeast Post and Telecommunications Administration immediately began to prepare for the printing of stamps and carry out the people's postal work in the liberated areas.
Inspired by the victorious situation, some members of the Northeast Bureau of the Communist Party of China proposed to issue commemorative stamps for the founding of the Communist Party of China to guide the public to have a correct understanding of the Communist Party of China and at the same time boost the morale of the military and civilians. In March 1947, according to the spirit of the instructions of the Northeast Bureau, the Northeast Post and Telecommunications Administration decided to issue the "26th Anniversary of the Communist Party of China" stamp on July 1, based on a photo of Chairman Mao obtained from a reporter from Shaanxi Province to design the stamp, and then entrusted the stamp printing to Harbin Guangfa Printing Office.
Figure: The former site of the Northeast Post and Telecommunications Administration, No. 100, Minyi Street, Nangang District, Harbin City.
At the end of March, after the completion of the design draft, it was approved by the Northeast Post and Telecommunications Administration, the Northeast Bureau of the Communist Party of China and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. According to the production conditions and equipment conditions at that time, the stamps were printed on offset plates, and the paper used was watermarked silk paper, which was the best paper in stock at that time.
On July 1, 1947, the 26th Anniversary of the Communist Party of China was officially issued with a full set of 4 stamps. The pattern is the same, but the color and face value are different. They are 10 yuan (red), 30 yuan (rose), 50 yuan (purple red), and 100 yuan (orange) in the Northeast currency system. Ticket size 37.5x46mm.
The pattern is a frontal portrait of Mao Zedong wearing an octagonal hat, with the flag of the Communist Party of China in the background. Mao Zedong on the picture is full of smiles, full of spirit, and full of joy of victory, showing the party's confidence in leading the people of the whole country to victory. The stamp is printed with the words "26th Anniversary of the Communist Party of China" at the top, and the eye-catching number "7.1" is printed at the bottom left of the party flag, which highlights the theme and expresses the love of the people of the whole country for Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China.
Because it is the first set of commemorative stamps for the founding of the party, the stamps are well-made, and at the same time they are large stamps, people's enthusiasm for buying is very high, the stamps were sold out quickly, and the sale of stamps was announced on July 15, and the stamp sales period was only half a month.
The first set of stamps to commemorate "July 1st" is very precious because of the short time of issuance and the few surviving stamps. The "Party Flag", "Portrait of the Chairman" and "7.1" numbers in the stamps have become the classic elements of the "July 1st" commemorative stamps. At that time, most of the purchases were kept as souvenirs or gifts to friends, and the usage rate was not high. The number of new tickets in existence is greater than that of old tickets, so old tickets are relatively rare and their prices are higher than new tickets.