Scott No: 2695-98
Serial number: 1996-17
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: July 28, 1996
Designers: Li Yinqing
Size: 50*30mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 40
Printing process: gravure

At 3:53 am on July 28, 1976,shocking blue lights were shining above Tangshan City, North China's Hebei Province. The century-old east Hebei city was hit by a devastating earthquake, measuring 7.8 on Richter scale with the intensity in the epicentre measuring 11 degrees. The world scarcely witnessed quake had killed 240,000 people and heavily injured 160,000, others, 7,218 families had their whole members killed in the quake (accounting for 2.97 percent of the total households in the city ), and 2,652 children became orphans. The ground constructions and facilities were totally ruined with the railways twisted, bridges broken, transportation, water and power supply and telecommunications all cut off. Of the more than 10 million square meters industrial buildings, 80 percent collapsed or were severely destroyed. Meanwhile 245 million mu arable lands were shrouded by sands and water, the economic loss caused by the earthquake totaled RMB 30 billion yuan.

The unyielding Tangshan people struggled to rebuild their homes just when the main tremor paused and the after-shocks not yet ceased. In the 20 years since then, the Tangshan people spent 10 years rebuilding the city and another 10 reviving it, thus making a great, historic wonder in fighting natural disasters.

In 1979, the large-scale reconstruction of Tangshan City began. More than 100,000 construction workers struggled on the tens of square kilometers of ruins. By the end of June 1986, the congregated rebuilt area had totaled 18 million square meters, and 230,000 people or 98.5 percent of the total households, moved in their new homes. The United Nations awarded the Tangshan a "residence honored prize", and the municipal government was chosen by the UN as the "outstanding organization contributing to human residence."

In 1989, Tangshan became the city whose gross domestic product exceeding RMB 10 billion yuan. During the Eighth Five-year Plan period (1991-1995) the gross national product increased by 18.5 per cent on a year-by-year basis. In 1994, the GNP reached RMB38.649 billion yuan, doubling its GNP six years earlier than scheduled. In 1995 its GNP hit RMB 48.5 billion yuan.