Sp. 480 Chinese Classic Novel “Journey to the West” Postage Stamps (Issue of 2005) (D480)

Stamp SN : D480
Stamp Name : Sp. 480 Chinese Classic Novel “Journey to the West” Postage Stamps (Issue of 2005)
Stamp Cat Standard : Special Stamps
Stamp Cat : Tales,Literature,Books,Literature
Issue date : 2005-09-15
Dimension of stamps(mm.) : 30 x 40 (mm）
Printer : Cardon Enterprise Co., Ltd.
Sheet composition : 20 (4 × 5)
Print color : Colorful
Process : Deep etch offset
Paper : Phosphorescent stamp paper
Perforation : 11 1/2
Drawer : Rolland Chang

Journey to the West is a famous mythic novel among the Chinese classics. Written in a humorous style, the book always leaves a deep impression on its readers. Chunghwa Post is issuing the Chinese classic novel “ Journey to the West ” Postage Stamps (Issue of 2005) with a second set of four stamps featuring “Stone Monkey,” “Buddhist Baby in the River,” “Making a Pass at Chang E” and “Taming the Monster of the River of Flowing Sands .” These stamps will be released on September 15, 2005 .
The designs of the four stamps follow:
1. Stone Monkey: Sun Wu-kong was originally a rock at the summit of Flowers and Fruit Mountain . Since the rock had been receiving the essences of Heaven and Earth as well as the sun and the moon, it became magically pregnant and gave birth to a stone monkey. After he found the Cave of the Water Curtain, he invited other monkeys to come live in this Cave and was thus made the Handsome Monkey King.
2. Buddhist Baby in the River: On the way to his new post in Jiangjhou, Chen Guang-ruei, Syuan Zang’s father on the way to his new post in Jiangjhou, was killed. His pregnant wife Wun-jiao was captured by bandits. After the bandits took her to Jiangjhou, she gave birth to a son. Fearing the bandits would slay her son, she used her inner garment to wrap the baby and tied it to a plank, which she placed into the river with the hope that the baby might miraculously be rescued. The plank floated downstream until it got to Jinshan Temple , where its abbot, Master Faming, saved the baby. The abbot named him “River Float,” and when he grew up, he assumed the name Monk Syuan Zang.
3. Making a Pass at Chang E: One day at a peach banquet given by the Queen of Heaven, Pigsy got a bit drunk and made a pass at Chang E, the Goddess of the Moon. For this, the Jade Emperor had him thrashed and banished him to the world below. On his way to his next incarnation, he was born a pig-like creature. Enlightened by the Bodhisattva Kuan-yin, he became a disciple of Syuan Zang and escorted him to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures. The Bodhisattva tonsured him and named him Jhu Wu-neng.
4. Taming the Monster of the River of Flowing Sands : When Syuan Zang and his disciples reached the River of Flowing Sands , a creature with red hair and sharp fangs emerged from the water and tried to snatch Syuan Zang. Pigsy, who was a good swimmer, fought the creature. On Bodhisattva Kuan-yin’s orders, Huei-an, or Prince Moksha, came to the rescue. Enlightened by the Bodhisattva, the monster became a disciple of Syuan Zang and escorted him to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures. He was given the name Sha Wu-jing.
(1) First Day Cover in small size to be sold at NT$2.00 apiece
(2) Folder especially prepared for the stamps to be sold at NT$5.00 apiece
(3) Folder with crystal mount for better protection of the stamps to be sold at NT$5.00 apiece
(4) Loose-leaf stamp album page with plastic cover to be sold at NT$8.00 apiece
(5) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a low-valued stamp to be sold at NT$5.50 apiece
(6) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a complete set of stamps to be sold at NT$34.00 apiece
To purchase these items, the public can go directly to the post offices, or order on line at https://stamp.post.gov.tw