Scott No: 2225-28
Serial number: T140
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: August 25, 1989
Denomination: 128 fen
Designers: Yang Wenqing
Size of stamps: 54*40mm
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 28(4*7)
Printing process: Engraving and photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T140 "Mount Hua" special stamps were issued on August 25, 1989. The set consists of 4 stamps, printed by photogravure combined with engraving, with a stamp size of 54 × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11, and 28 stamps per sheet (4 × 7). Designed by Yang Wenqing, engraved by Hu Zhenyuan, Yan Bingwu, Li Qingfa, and Jiang Weijie, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.

Theme of the Set

Mount Hua is the Western Great Mountain among the Five Great Mountains, located in Huayin, Shaanxi. It has long been known as "the most precipitous mountain under heaven" and is a granite fault-block mountain as well as a famous Daoist mountain. This set belongs to the Five Great Mountains series, selecting representative panoramic views and perilous paths of Mount Hua and presenting its majestic and precipitous mountain scenery from far to near. It combines natural wonders with mountain culture and, together with the earlier Mount Tai stamps and the subsequent Mount Heng, Mount Heng, and Mount Song stamps, forms a complete Five Great Mountains system.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

The Five Peaks of the Western Great Mountain

The image presents a bird's-eye view of the full panorama of Mount Hua's five peaks. In the foreground is the North Peak, Cloud Terrace Peak; the Central Peak, Jade Maiden Peak, stands amid the surrounding East, South, and West peaks. The five peaks rise steeply into the sky with an imposing grandeur, making this the most iconic panorama of Mount Hua.

Distant View of Mount Hua

The image depicts the peaks amid surging seas of clouds, with the mountains faintly visible through the mist and clouds. The flowing smoke and clouds create an ethereal realm of immortal mountains, expressing the sea-of-clouds landscape of Mount Hua.

Thousand-Foot Cliff

The image portrays the famous perilous path of Mount Hua, the Thousand-Foot Cliff. This is a narrow rock crevice on the cliff face with steep and narrow stone steps; it has been an essential and dangerous route for climbing Mount Hua since ancient times, embodying the "perilous" character of Mount Hua.

Canglong Ridge

The image presents Canglong Ridge, whose narrow mountain ridge stretches like a soaring azure dragon, flanked by abysses on both sides, with a narrow and steep path. It is one of the most breathtaking perilous paths on Mount Hua.

Artistic Design Features

The set adopts the techniques of traditional Chinese landscape painting in fine brushwork and light color, using the axe-cut texture stroke to express the hard texture of the granite cliffs, with ink as the dominant element and light color as auxiliary. The photogravure-plus-engraving printing process gives the mountain and rock outlines a firm, solid quality while the cloud and mist washes remain soft. The four images can be joined into a single long scroll, yet each stands independently when separated. The emphasis highlights the majestic and perilous temperament of Mount Hua, and the style is consistent with the Five Great Mountains stamp series, with a vigorous and grand artistic conception.