1996-04, The Centenary Birthday of Post of China《中国邮政开办一百周年》

Stamp Title: The Centenary Birthday of Post of China
Scott No: 2650-54
Serial number: 1996-4
Values in set: 4
(4-1), Original Site of Tianjin Posts Bureau, 10 fen, 40*30mm
(4-2), Original Site of Beijing Postal Administration, 20 fen, 40*30mm
(4-3), Original Site of Directorate of Posts of China Soviet Repoublic, 50 fen, 40*30mm
(4-4), Complex of Beijing Postal Hub, 100 fen, 40*30mm
Souvenir sheet: 1
Date of issue: March 20, 1996
Designers: Li Qingfa;JiangWeijie
Size of stamp: 40*30mm
Size of S/S: 154*83 mm
Size of S/S stamp: 90*60 mm
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition: 40
Printing process: gravure

China’s postal service is developed from the courier station service in the ancient times. The primitive communications means in the Shang Dynasty in the 11th century BC was by hearing the drums and watching beacon-fire, which conveyed a message or border alarm in the Zhou Dynasty, courier stations and the beacon towers co-existed. The Qin Dynasty ( 221-207 BC) unified the characters, and constructed many postal routes and postal pavilions to further boost the development of postal system. The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC – AD 220), which followed the postal system in the Qin Dynasty, built a relatively complete postal network by setting up a postal station every 30 li ( 15 kilometers ). Then in the Southern and Northern Dynasties ( 420-581). Postal law was issued.

The ancient postal system climbed to its height of development in the Tang Dynasty ( 618-907), when more then 1,600 postal stations were built nationwide, and 300 li ( 150 kilometers ) for a courier was a day’s journey. The remaining dynasties in Chinese history followed the conventions, among which the Yuan Dynasty ( 1271-1378) was famous in the world at that time for its large scale and the number of postal stations, and developed postal routes. A courier in the Qing Dynasty ( 1644-1911) could travel 600 li ( 300 kilometers )per day and night.

The ancient Chinese postal stations, as compared to blood and veins of the State, were the main communications means for the rulers in every dynasty to disseminate policies and send military messages.

The modern Chinese postal service was a business communications organization run by the State to serve people in 1866, the Customs was entrusted to concurrently handle the postal business, and in 1878, it was empowered to run the postal service on trial basis. And finally in 1896, the country’s postal service was formally launched.

On March 20 that year, pursuant to the memorial to the throne submitted by Zhang Zhidong, the minister of the southern coastal province, and the postal rules drafted by a British, Hurd, who served in the General Taxation Department of the Customs, the Premier Tamen ( government office in feudal China ) of the Qing Dynasty applied the establishment of an Imperial Postal Bureau in their memorial to the Emperor Guangxu. This memorial, submitted to the throne was approved on the same day, thus inaugurating China’s postal service history.

The centennial postal service history has witnessed the development periods including those of the Qing postal service, the old China postal service and the New China postal service. The postal service in the people’s revolutionary war period is also an important component of the Chinese postal history.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, China’s postal service has developed at a rapid pace. By the end of 1995, the number of postal stations in the country has amounted to 63,000, and the postal routes have extended to 1.88 million kilometers, with the business volume totaling RMB 14 billion yuan ( $ 1.68 billion ). A grand postal network has been constructed to cover whole. Besides, postal service has formed an independent industrial system and the pace of its modernization construction has stepped up.

1996-4 《中国邮政开办一百周年》纪念邮票、小型张
1996-4 《中国邮政开办一百周年》纪念邮票
（4-1）J 清·天津邮政津局旧址 10 分 2381.7万枚
（4-2）J 北京邮务管理局旧址 20 分 3917.7万枚
（4-3）J 中华苏维埃共和国邮政总局旧址 50 分 2635.7万枚
（4-4）J 北京邮政枢纽 100 分 2413.4万枚
1996-4 《中国邮政开办一百周年》小型张

小型张 中国邮政开办一百周年 500 分 1848.4万枚
志号名称：1996-4J
发行日期：1996年3月20日
整版枚数：40 枚
全套面值：1.80
版别：影写
邮票规格：40 × 30 毫米
小全张邮票规格：90×60 毫米
小全张外形规格：154×83 毫米
齿孔度数：11.5度
设计者：李庆发、姜伟杰
印制机构：北京邮票厂

1896年3月20日，清朝光绪皇帝在南洋大臣张之洞奏请开办国家邮政的奏折及赫德所拟的邮政章程上批了“依议”二字。批准正式开办大清邮政官局。总理衙门据此委任赫德为总邮政司。1897年2月20日正式开业，自此，中国国家邮政正式开办。1906年清政府设邮传部主管邮政。但由于英、法为争夺中国邮政大权从中作梗，直到1911年5月28日，邮传部才从海关手里接管了邮政，成立了邮政总局。清代邮政的试办和开办，初步实现了官办通信的社会公用化，使中国的通信方式迈向了近代化。1878年海关试办邮政时，就开办了信函、新闻纸、贸易契、国际信函、挂号等业务;1 897年大清邮政营业时，又增加了明信片、书籍、包裹、货样等;1898年开办邮政汇兑、国际包裹业务;1899年开始与外国邮政订立互寄邮件章程;1909年正式开办快递业务。至1911年，全国共建有各等邮局6201处。

民国时期，大清邮政改组为“中华邮政”，于1913年裁撤了全部驿站，邮政得到了迅速发展。邮政局所从1912年的6816个上升到1928年的12126个。1914年，中国加入了万国邮政联盟。1922年，中国政府经过交涉，关闭了大部分外国在华邮局(“客邮”)，1917年，开始利用汽车、自行车传递邮件。1921年，开办了航空邮路，至1936年，航邮遍及各通航城市。

中国人民革命战争时期，1929年诞生了赤色邮政，遍及赣西南、湘鄂西、闽西、湘赣、闽浙赣根据地。1932年5月1日，在江西瑞金成立了中华苏维埃共和国邮政总局，下辖7个邮务管理局，经办平信、挂号、快信、汇兑、包裹、印刷品、报纸发行等业务，发行了“苏维埃邮票”。抗日战争爆发后，在中国共产党领导的陕甘宁、晋察冀、晋冀鲁豫、山东和苏皖各抗日根据地都创办了交通邮政机构。解放战争时期，解放区的邮政逐步走向统一，普遍组织了军邮局，有力地支援了全国解放。东北、中原、华中、华东、西南和华北等大区的邮政总局或邮电管理机构的成立，为新中国的邮政奠定了基础。

新中国成立后，1949年11月，中央人民政府邮电部成立，邮政总局随后组成。邮政的发展日新月异，同近200个国家(地区)建立了直接通邮关系。邮政业务迅速发展。自70年代以来，又有计划地分批分期进行邮政枢纽建设，先后建成投产的有广州、武汉、石家庄、烟台、乌鲁木齐、西宁、南宁、昆明、太原、郑州等处。“九五”期间，我国的邮政事业将为全社会提供更好的服务。

1996年3月20日，为纪念中国邮政开办100周年，邮电部发行了《中国邮政开办一百周年》纪念邮票，全套4枚。