Scott No: 2091-95
Serial number: T116
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: May 20, 1987
Denomination: 78 fen
Designers: Wu Jiankun, Ren Yu
Size of stamps: 54*40mm
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 28 (4*7)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T116 "Dunhuang Murals (Series I)" special stamps were issued on May 20, 1987. The set consists of 4 stamps plus 1 souvenir sheet, printed by photogravure, with a stamp size of 54 × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11, and 28 stamps per sheet. The souvenir sheet measures 93 × 78 mm, with an inner stamp of 70 × 54 mm. Designed by Wu Jiankun and Ren Yu, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.

Theme of the Set

This group is the opening of the Dunhuang Murals stamp series, selecting early murals from the Northern Liang and Northern Wei periods at the Mogao Caves, with subjects including jataka stories, bodhisattvas, musicians and dancers, and apsaras. Early Dunhuang murals integrate Western Regions artistic styles with Central Plains aesthetics—plain and rugged—and carry Buddhist stories. It opens the prologue of this stamp series' systematic presentation of the mural art of the Mogao Caves through the ages, showcasing the artistic treasures of Chinese-Western cultural fusion along the Silk Road.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Northern Liang: Offering Bodhisattvas

The image is taken from a Northern Liang cave mural at the Mogao Caves. Several bodhisattvas assume different postures—some holding flowers in offering, others listening to the Dharma in meditation—with vivid expressions. The Northern Liang period is an early stage of Dunhuang statuary, and the figures clearly bear Western Regions stylistic features, plain and archaic.

Northern Wei: The Deer King Jataka

The image is the story of the Nine-Colored Deer, taken from Mogao Cave 257, depicting the scene in which the Nine-Colored Deer explains the matter to the king. The story tells of the Nine-Colored Deer saving a drowning man, only to be betrayed by him, until good and evil are finally judged. It is Dunhuang's most classic picture-story-style mural.

Northern Wei: Celestial Musicians and Dancers

The image shows musicians and dancers performing music and dance in the celestial palace, with music and dance abounding within the pavilions, expressing the joyful and harmonious scene of the Buddhist celestial palace. It is an early mural on the theme of music and dance.

Northern Wei: Apsara

The image shows a Northern Wei apsara, with a concise figure and long ribbons flying through the air. Without relying on wings, it expresses the dynamic feeling of soaring flight solely through the flowing ribbons—an early classic form of the apsara image.

Northern Wei: Prince Sattva Gives His Body to Feed the Tiger (Souvenir Sheet)

Taken from Mogao Cave 254, it presents the jataka story of Prince Sattva giving his body to feed a tiger. The image arranges multiple episodes interwoven within the same picture, with overlapping time and space and a tragic and solemn atmosphere. It is a peak work of Northern Wei murals.

Artistic Design Features

The set faithfully copies the antique tones of the original murals. The red-brown ground is weighty and rich, the forms are concise and naive, and the lines are unrestrained and powerful, bearing the flavor of Western Regions art. It forms a sharp contrast with the intricate and gorgeous style of the later Tang dynasty murals, restoring the vigorous and mysterious antique flavor of Northern Dynasties Dunhuang murals in their original essence.