General Cheng Ch'eng-kung, better known abroad as Koxinga, a native of Nanan, Fukien province, was born in 1642. With the emergence of the Manchus, who later founded the Ching Dynasty, the Ming Empire came close to collapse. With firmness and decisiveness, General Cheng assumed the task of reviving the failing dynasty and lifted the flag of resistance. From then on he dedicated himself to the work of restoring and reconstructing the fallen empire. His prestige spread far and wide in southeast China and his forces were irresistible along the coastal provinces. Later, the led his army across the sea to Taiwan where he drove away the Dutch settlers and took over the island. The 300th anniversary of Taiwan's recovery by Koxinga was in 1961. On the April 29, 1961, a solemn sacrifice was offered to Koxinga at his shrine in Tainan by the representatives of various circles in Taiwan. To commemorate his noteworthy exploits in the recovery of this province and to pay tribute to the national hero, a set of commemorative stamps was issued with Koxinga's statue as the central design.