Scott No: 3276-81
Serial number: 2003-9
Values in set: 6
Souvenir sheet: 1
Denomination: 5.30 yuan
Date of issue: 16th May. 2003
Designer: Chen Quansheng
Size of stamps: 38*50 mm
Size of S/S: 144*85 mm
Size of S/S stamp: 90*60 mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 20 for sheet I ; 8 for Sheet II
Printing process: photogravur
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

This is a set of six special stamps titled Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature – Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Part III), along with one souvenir sheet, issued on May 16, 2003. The total face value of the stamps is 5.30 yuan, and the souvenir sheet has a face value of 8 yuan. The stamps were designed by Chen Quansheng and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process.

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of classical Chinese short stories written by Pu Songling during the Qing Dynasty. Through tales of foxes, ghosts, and flower spirits, it portrays the many facets of human nature and social life. The plots are fantastical and moving, and the language is concise and evocative. It is considered the pinnacle of classical Chinese short fiction. China Post issued the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio stamps in three parts. This set is the third part and the concluding issue of the series. It features six widely known classic stories, using traditional Chinese painting to recreate the fantastical scenes from the novel, allowing these classical literary tales to be presented on stamps and preserving the unique romantic and satirical character of this literary masterpiece.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Xiang Yu

The story tells of the scholar Huang Sheng, who meets the peony spirit Xiang Yu and the camellia spirit Jiang Xue at the Xiaqing Palace at the foot of Mount Lao. It is a moving tale of mutual companionship between mortals and spirits. The stamp depicts Xiang Yu in human form meeting the scholar. The figures are gentle and graceful, with blooming peonies beside them, highlighting the elegant and lively character of the flower spirit and expressing sincere and beautiful emotions.

Zhaocheng Tiger

Based on the strange tale of a tiger in Zhaocheng that supported and buried an old woman, the story tells of a fierce tiger who, moved by human kindness, takes on the role of a deceased son to care for his elderly mother, only leaving after her death. The stamp portrays the tiger tenderly caring for the old woman, breaking the stereotype of a ferocious beast and embodying the story's themes of reward for good and evil and deep loyalty, full of folk legend color.

Huan Niang

The story tells of the female ghost Huan Niang, who is skilled at playing the qin and admires the scholar Wen Ruchun. Knowing that humans and ghosts cannot be together, she secretly matches Wen Ruchun with Lianggong, bringing the two together. The stamp depicts Huan Niang playing the qin. The figure is quiet and elegant, and the music conveys her emotions, highlighting her forbearing, kind, and selfless character.

A Xiu

The story tells of the fox spirit A Xiu, who admires the man Liu Zigu and imitates the appearance of the human woman A Xiu. When the real and fake A Xiu meet, a fantastical romance unfolds in which true and false are difficult to distinguish. The stamp places the two A Xius side by side. The figures are beautiful, and the composition is ingenious, vividly presenting the story's mysterious and ambiguous plot and fully displaying the original work's romantic and fantastical artistic style.

Wang Gui'an

The story describes the wealthy young man Wang Gui'an, who meets the common woman Yun Niang while crossing a river. The two fall in love and, after many twists and turns, finally marry. Later, a joke leads to a misunderstanding, and Yun Niang throws herself into the river. After many hardships, the couple is finally reunited. The stamp depicts their meeting on the river, with a boat on the water and the figures gazing at each other affectionately, blending the Jiangnan water town setting with the delicate emotions of the characters.

The Goddess

The story tells of the scholar Mi Sheng, who encounters a goddess. The goddess gives him a precious pearl, and they meet several times. She repeatedly helps Mi Sheng in times of danger, not seeking worldly fame or profit, and acting with freedom and integrity. The stamp depicts the goddess standing in the mountains, with a graceful posture and a cool, ethereal demeanor, embodying her transcendent, independent, and righteousness-over-profit character. She is one of the most distinguished female characters in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

Souvenir Sheet – The Master of West Lake

The souvenir sheet is based on the story "The Master of West Lake," which tells of the scholar Chen Sheng, who, while boating on Dongting Lake, saves a wounded dragon. By chance, he enters the Dragon Palace, meets the Master of West Lake, and is treated kindly by the Dragon Princess, forming a remarkable bond. The stamp depicts the fantastical scene of a grand gathering in the Dragon Palace, with many figures, pavilions, and misty clouds, fully displaying the magnificent and ethereal underwater Dragon Palace and showcasing the original work's imaginative and romantic scope.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp set continues the gongbi (meticulous brushwork) and rich-color traditional Chinese painting style of the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio series. The figures are simple and expressive, and the scenes blend reality and illusion, fitting the original work's ambiguous, dreamlike story atmosphere. The photogravure printing provides warm and delicate colors, effectively presenting the lines and color layers of the characters' clothing and the scenery. The six stamps stand alone as individual stories while maintaining a unified style. The souvenir sheet is larger and richer in detail, interpreting fox and ghost stories through classical painting language, creating the unique, ethereal, and beautiful atmosphere of classical fiction. It fully continues the artistic tone of the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio stamp series. As the concluding work of the entire series, it brings this classical literary masterpiece stamp collection to a complete and successful conclusion.