China issues Jiang Zemin birth-centenary stamps and souvenir sheet

China Post issued a commemorative set on 17 August 2026 marking the centenary of the birth of Jiang Zemin, who served as China’s president from 1993 to 2003. The release comprises two stamps and one souvenir sheet and carries the issue number 2026-13. The two stamps have a combined face value of 2.40 yuan, while the souvenir sheet has a face value of 6 yuan.

The first 1.20-yuan stamp depicts Jiang in Shanghai. The second, also denominated 1.20 yuan, shows him at the 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The souvenir-sheet design presents Jiang waving to a parade from the Tian’anmen Rostrum. China’s State Post Bureau lists a planned quantity of four million complete stamp sets and 3.2 million souvenir sheets. Those quantities make the sheet and the set separate production formats rather than interchangeable descriptions of the same item.

Both individual stamps measure 40 by 30 millimetres and are arranged in sheets of 12 measuring 160 by 170 millimetres. The stamp in the souvenir sheet measures 40 by 60 millimetres, within an overall sheet size of 80 by 120 millimetres. Perforation is gauge 13 for both formats. The issue was printed by Beijing Stamp Factory using photogravure. Xing Wenwei designed the two-stamp set and Yin Xiaofei designed the souvenir sheet.

The production specification also identifies security paper, security ink, shaped perforations and fluorescent spray coding as anti-counterfeiting measures. These details distinguish the postal issue from related centenary medals, coins and privately produced souvenirs and provide useful reference points for identifying complete, genuine material. The combination of sheet stamps and a separately designed souvenir sheet makes format and margin condition important when assembling the issue.

The stamps and souvenir sheet are scheduled to remain on sale for six months through designated postal outlets, China Post’s philatelic platform and its mobile application, subject to availability. Collectors comparing examples should record the issue number, format, perforation and fluorescent coding and should avoid assuming that every centenary-themed product belongs to the official postal issue.