Scott No: 2126-30
Serial number: T123
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: December 20, 1987
Denomination: 98 fen
Designers: Zhou Feng
Size of stamps: 54*40mm
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 28(4*7)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T123 "Chinese Classical Literature Masterpieces — Water Margin (Series I)" special stamps were issued on December 20, 1987. The set consists of 4 stamps plus 1 souvenir sheet, printed by photogravure, with a stamp size of 54 × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11, and 28 stamps per sheet. Designed by Zhou Feng and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory. The souvenir sheet measures 140 × 87 mm, with an inner stamp of 90 × 60 mm, perforation gauge 11.5 × 11.

Theme of the Set

This group is the opening of the Water Margin series, selecting five classic episodes from the first eighteen chapters of the novel, unfolding in sequence the entry of the heroes and the stories of the jianghu, and narrating the beginning of the story of "official oppression driving the people to rebel." It opens the prologue for the complete five-group Water Margin series, portraying the early heroic ensemble of Liangshan and conveying the spiritual core of the masterpiece—loyalty, righteousness, and resistance.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Shi Jin Practices Martial Arts

The image depicts Shi Jin practicing martial arts in a courtyard. Shi Jin is the first hero to appear in Water Margin; he studied under Wang Jin and acquired a full set of skills, and is nicknamed the Nine-Tattooed Dragon.

Lu Zhishen Uproots the Weeping Willow

The image depicts Lu Zhishen uprooting a weeping willow bare-handed. At the Grand Xiangguo Temple, to subdue a gang of ruffians, Lu Zhishen uproots the willow tree with sheer strength, fully displaying his divine power.

Lin Chong at the Mountain Spirit Temple in the Wind and Snow

The image shows the Mountain Spirit Temple amid wind and snow. Lin Chong, framed by Gao Qiu, overhears the conspiracy at the Mountain Spirit Temple and, in a fury, goes to Liangshan on that snowy night—the key episode that marks the turning point in Lin Chong's fate.

Song Jiang Righteously Releases Chao Gai

The image shows Song Jiang passing on information and letting Chao Gai and the others go. After Chao Gai's clever seizure of the birthday gifts is exposed, Song Jiang, as a clerk, out of loyalty and friendship, secretly releases Chao Gai, planting the seed for the gathering of heroes at Liangshan.

Cleverly Seizing the Birthday Gifts (Souvenir Sheet)

The image depicts Chao Gai, Wu Yong, and the others on Yellow Mud Ridge cleverly devising a scheme, using knockout powder to drug Yang Zhi and his party and making off with the birthday gifts. It is the most important classic event of the early part of Water Margin.

Artistic Design Features

The set draws on the style of Ming dynasty woodblock prints by Chen Hongshou, with archaic and exaggerated figure modeling, rounded and concise lines, and steady, weighty coloring. The compositions are rich in narrative quality and antique flavor, and the figures' expressions are vividly depicted. This set was voted the Best Stamp of the year and established the unified artistic keynote for the Water Margin series.