Scott No: 713-715
Serial number: S60
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: September 25, 1963
Denomination: 40 fen
Designer: Sun Chuanzhe
Size of stamps: 26.5*36mm
Perforation: 11.5*11
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

S60 "Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey" special stamps were issued on September 25, 1963. The set consists of 3 stamps, printed by photogravure, with original paintings by Liu Jiyou, designed by Sun Chuanzhe, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. Stamp size 26.5 mm × 36 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11, 50 stamps per sheet (10 × 5), with a total face value of 0.40 yuan for the set; circulations: 8-fen 5.921 million copies, 10-fen 3 million copies, and 22-fen 1 million copies. An imperforate complete set with the same designs was issued on the same day, specially for philatelists to purchase; the imperforate stamps were sold at a premium and did not circulate at ordinary postal windows.

Theme of the Set

The golden snub-nosed monkey is a rare primate unique to China, also called the snub-nosed monkey. It inhabits the high-altitude mountain forests of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and Yunnan, with long golden-brown fur and a blue face turned upward; its wild population is sparse, and it is a national treasure on a par with the giant panda. In the 1960s, China began to attach importance to the protection of rare wild animals. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications selected works of the golden snub-nosed monkey by the Chinese painting master Liu Jiyou for the stamps, using three pictures to present the monkey's natural states of being alone, playing, and parent-child interaction, popularizing knowledge about the golden snub-nosed monkey among the public and arousing awareness of protecting rare wild animals. Together with Special 59 "Giant Panda," this set forms the twin gems of the old Ji-te animal-themed stamps, with a rich ink-wash charm and extremely high artistic level.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey

The design shows an adult male golden snub-nosed monkey sitting quietly on a mountain rock with a steady posture. Its face is a unique blue-green, with white eye rings, its chest and belly fur is pure white, the long golden fur on its back and shoulders is smooth and bright, and its tail fur hangs down; several stalks of green bamboo are dotted beside it, setting off the quiet, secluded mountain environment. The painting captures the moment of the monkey's quiet concentration and completely presents the species' iconic appearance features.

Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey

With the broad leaves of banana plants as the background, a large and a small golden snub-nosed monkey chase and play freely. The small monkey leaps and the large one accompanies it, with lively, extended postures and long tails flying, vividly restoring the monkey's nature of climbing and playing in pairs in the forest, full of lively wild charm.

Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey

The design freezes a tender scene of a golden snub-nosed monkey mother and child. The mother monkey lies on a pine branch, carefully grooming the fur of and picking lice from the young monkey lying on its back; the little monkey relaxes and stretches its limbs, with pine needles beneath the branch. This stamp expresses the parent-child tenderness of the golden snub-nosed monkey group and is the most humanly warm picture of the entire set.

Special 60 "Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey" Imperforate Set

The designs, stamp formats, and compositions are completely identical to the perforated stamps; all three stamps in the set are unperforated. At the time they were supplied in a targeted way to philatelic departments, and the circulation was far smaller than that of the perforated stamps. Imperforate stamps are difficult to cut and preserve and very prone to rough edges; few survive, making it a precious collectible version of this set.

Artistic Design Features

The set uniformly adopts a vertical format, inheriting the Chinese painting style combining freehand and fine brush, without elaborate background rendering; a light gray plain ground sets off the main subject, and the brushwork is delicate and expressive, accurately expressing the fluffy, soft texture of the golden snub-nosed monkey's long fur. The photogravure printing has rich layers and can delicately distinguish the color transitions among the golden fur, white fur, and blue face, full of Chinese painting charm.