China Post is to issue a set of 5 special stamps entitled We Grow Together, My Country and Me on June 1, 2022. The names of the designs are respectively Loving My Motherland, Studying Diligently, Pursuing Science, Developing Physical Prowess and Respecting Labor. The denomination of the whole set is 5.20 yuan, and 6.1 million stamps are planned to be issued.

Based on the creative concept of unifying political character, sense of times and artistic quality, the special stamps We Grow Together, My Country and Me are planned by China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF), co-created by outstanding artists Kang Lei, Wang Zikun, Feng Xu, Kong Liang, Liu Qing from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), and designed by Hang Hai (also from CAFA). The five stamps are created with five artistic techniques: oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, digital painting, print and sculpture. Five different designs on five different background colors decorated with anthurium and other flower elements reflect diversified artistic styles while achieving overall unity and harmony.

The first stamp Loving My Motherland presents with oil painting techniques the scene of children saluting the national flag, with sunflowers in full bloom symbolizing the children's vigorous spirit and sincere patriotic feelings. The second design Studying Diligently depicts the image of a young pioneer who is studying hard and fully absorbed in her book, its background elements — a model of the self-developed C919 aircraft and other scientific symbols indicate the rapid development of the motherland in the new era. The third design Pursuing Science depicts with digital painting techniques a child in spacesuit flying in space, its background elements of China’s space station and Shenzhou spacecraft imply that Chinese children are keeping pace with the development of China’s cutting-edge science and technology, embracing hi-tech and aspiring to a bright future. The fourth design Developing Physical Prowess depicts an ice-skating child via print techniques, its background elements of the National Speed Skating Oval, the blue and white colors and snowflakes recall to mind the recently concluded Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The fifth design Respecting Labor portrays two young pioneers planting trees in spring with the techniques of sculpture. They are nurturing their beautiful dreams, and sowing their hope for green environment with a bucket of water and a shovel of earth. Its background elements of forest farm and the Fuxing bullet train symbolize that Chinese people are marching together towards the goal of a beautiful China with lucid waters and lush mountains.

The stamps are printed by Beijing Stamp Printing House Company Limited with photogravure technology. The pictures are saturated in bright colors. On the sheet, gold spot ink is used to highlight the golden luster of the Tian’anmen gate tower, and pearlescent process to add texture to the picture, all of which create an image of children growing healthily under the sunshine of the Party in the new era.

This set of stamps will be available for six months at designated postal outlets nationwide, online mall of China Philately (https://jiyou.11185.cn), the mobile app of China Post, the WeChat Mall for philatelic products in the official WeChat account and the WeChat mini program of China Post Group. To present more information about the stamps, China Post will release the digital contents through the WeChat mini program “Encyclopedia of China Philately and Stamps”, where philatelists can learn more about the stamps via its AR function.