Special 160 Famous Chinese - Shih Chien-ju- Portrait Postage Stamp (1980) (D160)

Stamp SN : D160
Stamp Name : Special 160 Famous Chinese - Shih Chien-ju- Portrait Postage Stamp (1980)
Stamp Cat Standard : Special Stamps
Stamp Cat : Martyrs
Issue date : 1980-03-29
Dimension of stamps(mm.) : 27x37
Printer : China Engraving & Printing Works, R.O.C.
Sheet composition : 10×10
Process : Intaglio
Paper : Locally-made 76-lb〝郵〞(post)
Perforation : 13 1/2 x 12 1/2
Engraver : Liu Yueh-chiao

Martyr Shih Chien-ju (1879-1900) was a native of Pan-yu in Kwangtung Province. His name was Chiu-wei; his nickname was Ching-ju, which was later changed to Chien-ju. He was a descendant of Shih Ko-fa, a national hero of the Ming Dynasty. Early in life, he excelled in painting, calligraphy, and writing. He admired chivalry and deplored autocracy. Determined to speed up the overthrow of the Ching Dynasty, he sought out every opportunity to aid the Revolutionary cause.
After joining in the Hsing Chung Hui movement, a predecessor of the Kuomintang, in Hongkong, Martyr Shih called on Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Japan to discuss revolutionary plans. When Dr. Sun Yat`sen launched the second attack in Hui-chou, he, in Canton, wanted to rise in support, but was unsuccessful. Later, after being thwarted in an assassination of Governor General Te-shou, Martyr Shih was arrested and executed. Dr. Sun Yat-sen eulogized, Martyr Shih Chien-ju is the second hard-fighting soldier in the history of China to be sacrificed for the cause of the Republican Revolution.