1998-19, Puning Temple in Chengde and Wurzburg Palace 《承德普宁寺和维尔茨堡宫》

Stamp Title: Puning Temple in Chengde and Wurzburg Palace(Jointly Issued by China and Germany)
Scott No: 2887, 2888
Serial number: 1998-19
Values in set: 2
(2-1), Wurzburg Palace, 50 fen, 30*50mm
(2-2), Puning Temple in Chengde, 540 fen, 30*50mm
Date of issue: August 20, 1998
Designers: Xiao Yutian
Size of stamp: 30*50mm
Perforation: 12.5
Sheet composition: 20
Printing process: offset
Printing house：Beijing postage stamps printing works

These stamps were jointly issued by China and Germany with the purpose of displaying the architectural gems of different styles between the East and the West.

The Puning Temple, located in Chengde of China’s Hebei Province and commonly called the Big Buddha Temple. Is the most famous temple complex among the Eight Outer Temples in the Imperial Summer Resort in Chengde. This temple began its construction in the 20th year of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty and was completed in four years. It is big in scale and completed in four years. It is big in scale and complete in structures, and also draws on the temple architectural styles of Tibetan Buddhism. In the Mahayana Hall in the rear of the temple architectural styles of Tibetan Buddhism. In the Mahayana Hall in the rear of the temple stands a 22.28-meter-high and 110-ton Avalokitesvara Buddha statue with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes made of engraved wood and painted gold. This is the highest and heaviest engraved wood Buddha statue in the world, and is a masterpiece of Buddhist artistic history in China and the world.

Wurzburg Palace is Germany’s “Palace Museum”, which is located in Wurzburg, Bavaria of Germany. Its construction started in 1720 and completed in 1744. It is the biggest and most magnificent palace architectural complex in Germany, and is called “palace of palaces”. The imperial church of the main building is typical of the Bavarian style. The imperial church of the main building is typical of the Bavarian style. The huge ceiling paintings of the church and residential palace of emperors are simple imposing and breathtaking. In 1981, the palace was listed in the Catalogue of World Cultural Heritage.

1998年特种邮票《承德普宁寺和维尔茨堡宫》
国家邮政局1998年8月20日发行《承德普宁寺和维尔茨堡宫》特种邮票1套2枚。（与德国联合发行）
(2-1）T 维尔茨堡宫 50分 4129.9万枚
(2-2）T 承德·普宁寺 540分 3161.9万枚
志号名称：1998-19T
版别：胶印
整版枚数：20 枚
全套面值：5.90元
邮票规格：30×50毫米
齿孔度数：12.5 度
设计者：肖玉田
印制机构：北京邮票厂

普宁寺位于承德避暑山庄北部武烈河畔，由于寺内有一尊金漆木雕大佛，俗称大佛寺。普宁寺建成于乾隆二十四年(1759年)，占地3.3万平方米，是外八庙中最为完整、壮观的寺庙建筑群。当时清政府平定了厄鲁特蒙古准噶尔部达瓦齐的叛乱，在避暑山庄为厄鲁特四部上层贵族封爵，效仿西藏三摩耶建制修建此寺，清政府希望边疆人民“安其居，乐其业，永永普宁”，故称之为“普宁寺”。

普宁寺建筑风格独特，它吸收并融合了汉地佛教寺院和藏传佛教寺院的建筑格局，南半部为汉地寺庙的“七堂伽蓝”式布局，中轴线上依次分布着山门、天王殿、大雄宝殿等殿堂，两侧为钟鼓楼和东西配殿，北半部为藏式寺庙建筑，以大乘阁为中心，周围环列着许多藏式碉房建筑物—-红台、白台以及四座白色喇嘛塔。大乘之阁内部分为三层，阁内矗立一尊金漆木雕千手千眼观音菩萨，是现在世界上最高大的木质雕像。

维尔茨堡宫是南德巴洛克后期最杰出的代表作它出自德国伟大建筑师巴?诺依曼之手，其富丽堂皇的皇帝大厅、栩栩如生的人物雕塑、惟妙惟肖且呼之欲出的壁画、油画精品无不令人赞叹，维尔茨堡以此丰富的文化遗产在1981年被联合国教科文组织列入世界文化财富名单中。

德国著名雕刻家里门施奈德在维尔茨堡城度过了他艺术上最辉煌的年代，他的墓碑就珍藏在该市的大教堂中，在该市的教堂、博物馆和宫殿中可以看到里门施奈德留下的许多不朽的雕刻作品。