Scott No: 3104-07
Serial number: 2001-8
Values in set: 3
Denomination: 220 fen
Date of issue: 26 May 2001
Designer: Yan Bingwu, Liuhong
Size of stamp: 30*50mm
Size of S/S stamp: 47*72mm
Size of S/S: 150*90mm
Printing process: gravure
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

This stamp set, Mount Wudang, was issued on May 26, 2001. It is a special stamp set consisting of three stamps, along with one souvenir sheet issued concurrently. The total face value of the stamps is 2.20 yuan, and the souvenir sheet has a face value of 8 yuan. The designers are Yan Bingwu and Liu Hong, with the souvenir sheet designed by Wang Huming. It was printed using photogravure by Beijing Stamp Printing Works. The perforation gauge is 12 degrees, and each stamp measures 30×50 mm. The souvenir sheet measures 150×90 mm, and the stamp within it measures 47×72 mm.

This stamp set features three representative Taoist temple landscapes of Mount Wudang in Hubei Province, with the souvenir sheet presenting the Golden Hall on Tianzhu Peak. Using the form of Chinese landscape painting, it presents the natural scenery of Mount Wudang's "immortal mountain and jade pavilions" and its imperial Taoist architectural complex, highlighting the unique value of Mount Wudang as a World Cultural Heritage site and preserving the Eastern aesthetics of the integration of Wudang Taoist culture with mountain and water architecture.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Autumn Scenery at Nanyan

The stamp depicts the autumn scenery of Nanyan Palace. Nanyan Palace was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and extensively expanded during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. It was built on a sheer cliff, making it the most exquisite combination of human culture and nature on Mount Wudang. The core building, Tianyi Zhenqing Palace, is a stone-carved palace imitating wooden architecture. The Dragon Head Incense Burner extending from the cliff overlooks a vast abyss, thrilling and extraordinary. In the stamp, autumn mountains layer upon layer, dotted with red leaves. The ancient halls on the cliff are embedded in the mountain wall, fully displaying the steep and ethereal character and showcasing the unique "suspended palace on a sheer cliff" of Nanyan.

Auspicious Snow at Zixiao

The stamp shows the winter snow scenery of Zixiao Palace at the foot of Zhanqi Peak. Zixiao Palace was first built in the Northern Song Dynasty and rebuilt during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. It is one of the best-preserved and grandest Taoist temples on Mount Wudang, known as the "Auspicious Land of Zixiao." The main Zixiao Hall has a double-eaved hip roof with exquisite dougong brackets. Inside the hall is a statue of the True Warrior Emperor. In the stamp, white snow covers the roofs, and the red walls and dark tiles stand solemn and dignified against the plain-colored mountains. The white snow enhances the pure and distant immortal atmosphere of the temple.

Green Surroundings at Taizi

The stamp features Fuzhen Temple, commonly known as Taizi Slope, located halfway up Mount Wudang. According to legend, the True Warrior Emperor studied here during his youth, which is how it got its name. Fuzhen Temple is built following the mountain's contours. The Nine-Bend Yellow River Wall and the One Pillar Twelve Beams are architectural wonders. The buildings rise and fall layer by layer with the mountain. In the stamp, greenery fills the view, with ancient buildings nestled among the mountains and forests. Winding paths and flowing water surround the palace, embodying the Wudang landscape aesthetic of "a nunnery every five li, a palace every ten li, red walls and green tiles gazing at each other in elegance."

Souvenir Sheet: Spring Dawn at the Golden Summit

The souvenir sheet depicts the spring morning scene of the Golden Hall of Taihe Palace on Tianzhu Peak. The Golden Hall is the symbol of Mount Wudang. It is a gilded bronze palace cast in the Ming Dynasty, standing at the top of Tianzhu Peak at an altitude of 1,612 meters. In the early morning, the glow of dawn spreads over the peaks, and the golden hall shines brilliantly at the top of the mountains. On the right side of the souvenir sheet is a textual introduction to Mount Wudang, with the continuous Seventy-Two Peaks spread across the background, fully displaying the magnificent momentum of Mount Wudang's main peak towering and the surrounding mountains guarding it.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp set uses a Chinese blue-green landscape painting style, employing scattered perspective. The three main stamps present the scenery of Mount Wudang in autumn, winter, and spring, with distinct color tones for each season. The designs integrate spectacular peaks and sheer cliffs with classical temples, delicately depicting the texture of rocks, forest vegetation, and ancient architectural details, achieving a balance of solid and void and creating the ethereal and distant mood of a Taoist immortal mountain. The souvenir sheet uses a grand composition to highlight the majesty of the Golden Hall, echoing the three main stamps and fully presenting the unique charm of Mount Wudang, where natural landscapes and imperial Taoist temples are integrated into one.