Scott No: -
Serial number: 2025-9
Values in set: 5
Date of issue: June 1st, 2025
Denomination: 520 fen
Designer: Hao Ou, Xia Jingqiu
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 10 (2 Sets)
Size of sheet: 168 * 190 mm
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post is scheduled to issue a set of 5 special stamps themed "Animation - The Legend of the Sealed Book" on June 1, 2025. The stamps are titled: Carving the Heavenly Book on Yunmeng Stone, Dansheng Learning from a Master, Clever Use of the Precious Basin, Battle with the Fox Goblins, and The Heavenly Book Endures Forever. The total face value of the complete set is 5.20 yuan, with a planned issuance quantity of 5 million sets.

The Legend of the Sealed Book is a classic original feature-length animation produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio, and one of China's iconic domestic animated blockbusters. Released in 1983, the work is adapted from the ancient Chinese legendary novel Pingyao Zhuan (Tales of Subduing Demons). Drawing heavily on artistic elements of traditional Chinese culture such as landscape painting, sculpture, opera, classical gardens, and folk music, the animation integrates national culture with folk imagery in perfect harmony, earning it the reputation of a "masterpiece integrating all essences" in the field of animation.

With Dansheng, the main character of The Legend of the Sealed Book, as the main thread, this set of stamps presents the essence of the story through five scenes. Combining the characteristics of animation, it ingeniously incorporates fluorescent effects, resulting in clear overall images and saturated colors.

The first stamp, "Carving the Heavenly Book on Yunmeng Stone", depicts the scene where Yuan Gong secretly descends to the mortal world to benefit humanity, carving the contents of the "Heavenly Book"—a rare treasure from the heavenly court—onto the stone cliffs of Yunmeng Mountain. Yuan Gong's dynamic posture of waving his sleeves is vividly portrayed, and the majestic momentum is conveyed through the inclined angle of the mountain and the lines of the figure. The fluorescent process highlights the inscribed characters of the Heavenly Book on the cliff, adding a touch of mystery to the image.

The second stamp, "Dansheng Learning from a Master", focuses on the scene where Yuan Gong imparts his skills and Dansheng practices magic. Dansheng's flying posture in mid-air forms the visual focus, and the birds surrounding him are revealed under ultraviolet light, making the image more vivid. These birds correspond to the divine birds in the subsequent locust-control plot, achieving a foreshadowing visual narrative.

The third stamp, "Clever Use of the Precious Basin", shows Dansheng using the Treasure-Gathering Basin to create seven identical elderly grandfathers to tease the county magistrate. The image reconstructs the scene of the county magistrate's yamen. The fluorescent effect, like having perspective ability, penetrates the obstruction of the Treasure-Gathering Basin to show the image of the elderly grandfather inside, fully displaying a sense of absurd humor.

The fourth stamp, "Battle with the Fox Goblins", depicts the climax of the animation where Dansheng engages in a battle of wits and courage with the three fox goblins. The fluorescent effects of "water curtains" and "flames" recreate the intense fighting scene, creating a strong visual impact.

The fifth stamp, "The Heavenly Book Endures Forever", presents the ending of the animation. Following Yuan Gong's teachings, Dansheng memorizes the contents of the Heavenly Book and brings it to the mortal world to eliminate harm and benefit the people. The foreground shows Dansheng remembering the Heavenly Book in a realistic way, while the background uses white and red fluorescent light to outline Yuan Gong's image, implying the ideology of "inheritance, guardianship, and development".

This set of stamps is designed by Hao Ou, edited by Li Hao, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Co., Ltd. using offset printing technology.