Scott No: 3025-28
Serial number:2000-8
Values in set: 4
Denomination: 5.20 yuan
Date of issue: May 5, 2000
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of stamps: 50*30mm
Perforation:12
Sheet composition: 20
Printing process: offset
Printer: Henan Post & Telecommmunication Printing Works

The special stamp set Kumbum Monastery was issued on May 5, 2000. It consists of four stamps with a total face value of 5.20 yuan. It was designed by Wang Huming and printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory using offset printing. Kumbum Monastery is located in Huangzhong, Qinghai. It is the ancestral temple of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and a key national cultural heritage site. This is the first special stamp set in Qinghai Province with a local theme. It features four iconic buildings within the monastery, showcasing the ancient architectural art blending Tibetan and Han styles and condensing the monastery culture of the northwestern Tibetan region into stamps.

Kumbum Monastery is known in Tibetan as "Gumbum Xanba Ling." It is the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. It has a history of more than four hundred years. Butter sculptures, murals, and barbola are known as the three wonders of Kumbum Monastery's art. The stamp set selects four representative core buildings in the monastery, covering the iconic pagoda group, the main hall, the scripture chanting hall, and the palace residence. It showcases the scattered and grand layout of the Kumbum Monastery complex, presenting the unique style of the integration of Tibetan architecture and Central Plains construction techniques and spreading the ancient architectural culture of Tibetan Buddhism and the diverse ethnic civilization of the Hehuang region.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Precious Pagodas

The stamp shows eight side-by-side dome-shaped pagodas, also known as the Eight Tathagata Pagodas. The pagodas are neatly arranged, with white bodies and golden tops, elegant and dignified. They are the iconic entrance landscape of Kumbum Monastery. The eight pagodas correspond to the eight great merits of Shakyamuni's life. They are a classic form of Tibetan pagoda architecture and the most widely known symbol of Kumbum Monastery.

Great Golden Tile Hall

The stamp presents the core main hall of Kumbum Monastery, with its golden roof shining against the blue sky. Inside the hall is a large silver pagoda commemorating Tsongkhapa, the center of the entire monastery. The building combines a Tibetan-style flat roof with a Han-style gilded hip roof. The combination of wooden structures and Tibetan walls reflects the integration of Tibetan and Han architectural art. It is the most important hall of Kumbum Monastery.

Great Sutra Hall

The stamp features a large Tibetan-style flat-roofed hall, long and expansive, with neat rows of pillars. This is the place where monks collectively chant scriptures and practice Buddhism. The hall preserves a large number of scriptures, Buddha statues, and ritual objects. It is the core space of religious activities at Kumbum Monastery and represents the monastic college culture of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.

Panchen Palace

The stamp shows a palace building with red walls and golden eaves, magnificent and exquisitely laid out. This is the residence where successive Panchen Lamas stayed when visiting Kumbum Monastery. The architecture combines the dignity of a palace with the solemnity of a monastery, carrying the history of the reincarnation lineage of Tibetan Buddhist living Buddhas and related religious activities.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp set uses re-created actual photography. It uniformly uses a clear blue sky as the background. The colors are bright and full, highlighting the visual contrast of golden roofs, red walls, and white pagodas. The offset printing provides stable color reproduction, with clear building outlines, faithfully reproducing the texture of ancient Tibetan architecture. The four buildings stand as individual pieces, from the entrance pagoda group, the main hall, the sutra hall, to the palace, presenting the functional sequence of the Kumbum Monastery complex in order and fully displaying the architectural aesthetics of this famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery. It is an outstanding work in the category of ethnic ancient architecture stamps.