Scott No: -
Serial number: 2016-16
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: June 26, 2016
Denomination: 270 fen
Designer: Xia Jingqiu
Size of stamps: 44 * 33 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 16
Sheet Size: 210 * 165 mm
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Liaoning Provinal Shenyang Post Printing Works

The special stamps Longxing Temple in Zhengding were issued by China Post on June 26, 2016. The full set consists of 2 stamps with a total face value of 2.70 yuan.

Longxing Temple is located in Zhengding County, Hebei Province. First constructed in the Sui Dynasty and originally named Longzang Temple, it underwent large-scale expansion in the Northern Song Dynasty. Although it was rebuilt many times in the subsequent Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, it still retains the overall layout dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty. The temple now has more than ten halls and pavilions of varying sizes, scattered along the north-south central axis and its two sides, presenting a staggered arrangement with clear distinction between primary and secondary structures. The temple also houses over 20 stone tablets inscribed in different dynasties. Among them, the Longzang Temple Stele of the Sui Dynasty is an important material for the study of ancient Chinese calligraphy art. In 1961, Longxing Temple was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in the first batch.

The first stamp features the Mani Hall and the polychrome reverse-facing Guanyin statue. Built in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Mani Hall has a structure similar to that specified in the Yingzao Fashi (Treatise on Architectural Methods) of the Song Dynasty. It is currently the only surviving example of its kind among ancient Chinese buildings, and the renowned architect Liang Sicheng praised it as a "masterpiece of architectural art". With a humanized appearance and a kind and gentle smile, the polychrome suspended reverse-facing Guanyin was regarded by Lu Xun as an outstanding work of Buddhist aesthetics and hailed as the "Goddess of Oriental Beauty". The second stamp depicts the Mahavira Hall and the bronze Thousand-Armed Guanyin statue. As the main structure of Longxing Temple, the Mahavira Hall is a three-story building with five layers of eaves. The bronze Thousand-Armed Guanyin, which has 42 arms in total, is the tallest existing ancient bronze standing Buddhist statue in China.

Designed by Xia Jingqiu, this stamp set is printed using the offset lithography technique and is equipped with four anti-counterfeiting technologies including security paper and special-shaped perforations.