Scott No: 3315-9
Serial number: 2003-20
Values in set: 5
Denomination: 5.20 yuan
Selling price of the booklet: 8.00 yuan
Date of issue: 18th October 2003
Designer: Gao Yun
Size of stamps: 30*40 mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition:
20 for Sheet I, 10 for Sheet II
Printing process: gravure
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

This is a set of five special stamps titled Folk Legend – Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, issued on October 18, 2003, with a total face value of 5.20 yuan, designed by Gao Yun and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is one of China's four great folk legends. The story has been passed down for a thousand years and is celebrated as an Oriental romance. The legend tells of Zhu Yingtai, who disguises herself as a man to study at an academy. On the way, she meets Liang Shanbo, and the two study together for three years, forming a deep bond. After Zhu Yingtai returns home, Liang Shanbo visits her and discovers that she is a woman. However, Zhu Yingtai has already been promised to another man. Unable to be together, the two ultimately die for love and their souls transform into butterflies, flying together. This stamp set features five classic scenes from the story, presenting the complete narrative and showcasing this poignant love story, preserving this well-known piece of folk culture.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Sworn Brotherhood at the Grass Bridge

The stamp depicts Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai meeting for the first time at the Grass Bridge Pavilion. They immediately feel a connection and become sworn brothers. Zhu Yingtai is disguised as a man, and the two share their thoughts in the pavilion, agreeing to study together at the academy. With a Jiangnan pavilion and weeping willows in the background, the scene captures the beautiful moment of their first meeting, marking the beginning of the story.

Three Years as Classmates

The stamp portrays Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai studying and grinding ink together at the academy. The two spend their days together, studying poetry and literature, and their friendship deepens. Zhu Yingtai has kept her identity as a woman hidden, and Liang Shanbo does not notice. The stamp recreates the environment of an ancient academy, showing the sincere friendship of their three years as classmates.

The Eighteen-Mile Farewell

The stamp depicts Zhu Yingtai leaving the academy to return home, with Liang Shanbo accompanying her for eighteen miles. Along the way, Zhu Yingtai uses the scenery to hint at her true identity and her feelings for him, but the honest Liang Shanbo fails to understand. With small bridges and flowing water, the two walk side by side. The scene is full of the poetic charm of the Jiangnan water towns and is one of the most memorable passages in the story.

Sorrowful Parting at the Pavilion

The stamp shows the scene of their meeting at Zhu Yingtai's home. Liang Shanbo, overjoyed to learn of Zhu Yingtai's true identity, comes to see her, only to learn that she has been promised to another. The two express their feelings to each other, filled with sorrow and reluctance, and vow to be together in life and death. This parting at the pavilion becomes their final farewell. The stamp conveys the helplessness and grief of their forced separation.

Transforming into Butterflies

The stamp depicts the two transforming into a pair of butterflies after their deaths, flying together among colorful clouds and rainbows. Breaking free from the constraints of worldly conventions, they remain together forever. This is the romantic and poignant ending of the legend. The fluttering butterflies and auspicious clouds express people's longing for free and sincere love.

Artistic and Design Features

The stamp set uses a traditional gongbi (meticulous brushwork) and rich-color painting style. The figures draw on traditional opera character imagery, with delicate and flowing lines, and a soft and elegant Jiangnan landscape background. The photogravure printing provides warm colors, delicately expressing the characters' clothing patterns, facial expressions, and environmental layers. The five stamps are arranged in the order of the story's development, providing a coherent and complete narrative. From their meeting and sworn brotherhood to their transformation into butterflies, the set fully presents the legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, condensing this timeless folk love story into the stamps.