Scott No: 355-357, 355a
Serial number: C50, C50m
Values in set: 3
Date of issue:
June 20, 1958 for mint stamps
June 28, 1958 for M/S
Denomination: 32 fen
Designer: Sun Chuanzhe
Engraver: Li Manceng, Tang Linshen, Gao Zhengyu
Size of stamps: 27*37 mm
Perforation: 14
Sheet composition: 80(10*8)
Printing process: Engraving and offset
Printing House: China Modern Times Printing Works

C50 "700th Anniversary of Guan Hanqing's Dramatic Creation" commemorative stamps were issued on June 20, 1958. The set consists of 3 stamps, printed by offset combined with engraving, designed by Sun Chuanzhe, engraved by Li Manzeng, Tang Linkun, and Gao Zhenyu, and printed by the China Modern Printing Company. Stamp size 27 mm × 37 mm, perforation gauge 14, 80 stamps per sheet (10 × 8), with a total face value of 0.32 yuan for the set; The Butterfly Dream 4 fen, circulation 5 million copies; Portrait of Guan Hanqing 8 fen, circulation 9 million copies; Watching the River Pavilion 20 fen, circulation 4 million copies, without gum throughout the set. A souvenir sheet was also issued on June 28, 1958, designed by Sun Chuanzhe, printed by engraving, imperforate, measuring 131 mm × 100 mm, with a circulation of 250,000 copies, without gum.

Theme of the Set

Guan Hanqing was the founder of Yuan drama and the first of the "Four Great Masters of Yuan Drama." Over his life he created more than sixty zaju plays, and works such as The Injustice to Dou E, The Butterfly Dream, and Watching the River Pavilion have been passed down through the ages, profoundly reflecting the hardships of the common people and praising the wisdom and resistance of the lower classes. In 1958 the World Peace Council listed Guan Hanqing as a World Cultural Figure, and cultural circles in China held commemorative activities at the same time. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set to pay tribute to this great playwright, carry forward the heritage of classical Chinese opera literature, and show the world the brilliant dramatic achievements of ancient China.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

The Butterfly Dream

The original painting is taken from a woodblock illustration in the Ming dynasty Selected Yuan Drama, by Huang Yingguang, Huang Yingrui, and Huang Dezhen. The picture depicts Bao Zheng leaning over his desk falling into a dream with butterflies fluttering, corresponding to the zaju Judge Bao's Three Investigations of the Butterfly Dream, which uses a dream to introduce a twisting legal case, praising Bao Zheng's impartial handling of cases and his compassion for the people; it is a representative work of Guan Hanqing's courtroom plays. The stamp's background is brownish-yellow, and the main image is printed in indigo-green, full of antique flavor.

Portrait of Guan Hanqing

The original painting is the classic portrait created by the painter Li Hu. In the picture Guan Hanqing wears plain cloth, leans slightly forward, with a firm gaze and flowing sideburns and beard, vividly shaping the image of a playwright who observes the common people and has an upright, awe-inspiring character; it is also the most widely circulated standard image of Guan Hanqing in later ages. The purple-red lines are steady and weighty, highlighting the figure's bold and unyielding temperament.

Watching the River Pavilion

The original painting is taken from a woodblock illustration in the Ming dynasty Guquzhai edition of Selected Yuan Zaju. The picture depicts Tan Ji'er steering a small boat and rushing to the River Pavilion. Tan Ji'er uses her courage and insight to outwit the powerful, and is a brilliantly vivid female figure under Guan Hanqing's brush. Black lines outline the river pavilion, water ripples, and boat, with a clear, open artistic conception full of dramatic tension.

Souvenir Sheet

The souvenir sheet arranges the three original stamp images horizontally, with the inscription "700th Anniversary of Guan Hanqing's Dramatic Creation" above and a branch of pear blossoms painted below, taking the meaning of "Pear Garden" (the theater world) and echoing the opera theme. In an imperforate format, it is plain and generous as a whole, placing the figure portrait and two classic plays side by side and completely presenting the theme of the entire set; few copies survive.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a horizontal format and offset combined with engraving. The two play images use ancient Ming dynasty prints, preserving the plain, concise charm of traditional woodcuts, while the portrait adopts the line-drawing style of modern Chinese painting, blending ancient and modern painting styles. The engraving is fine and the lines smooth; the three stamps use different single colors, set off by the brownish-yellow background, antique and calm. The 20-fen Watching the River Pavilion has the smallest circulation and is the bottleneck stamp of the set; the accompanying souvenir sheet has a circulation of only 250,000 copies and is a famous item of the old Ji-te stamps. This set was selected in the 1980 "Best Stamps of the 30th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China" selection and is the pinnacle of stamps on the theme of classical literature and opera.