2004-01, Year of Monkey ( 2004 Jiashen Year)《甲申年》

Stamp Title: Year of Monkey ( 2004 Jiashen Year)
Scott No: 3338
Serial number: 2004-1
Values in set: 1
(1-1), Jiashen Year, 80 fen, 36*36 mm
(2-1), Year of Monkey (Jiashen Year), 320 fen, 132*124 mm
(2-2), Year of Monkey (Jiashen Year), 480 fen, 118*180 mm
Denomination: 80 fen
Selling Price of the booklet: 8 yuan
Date of issue: 5th January 2004
Designer: Chen Shaohua
Size of stamps: 36*36 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition:
24 for Sheet I; 6 for Sheet II
Printing process: Photogravure
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

The year of 2004, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, is the Year of Jiashen, or the Year of Monkey. The monkey, a close relative of the mankind, has no direct connection with human life in the way that domestic animals do, but has nonetheless caught people’s special attention with their alertness, nimbleness, and intelligence. In the Chinese mythology, the monkey was the ancestor of mankind, and had the mystical power of communicating with deities. For this reason, the figure of monkey was often carved in masts of ferries to ward off evil spirits. Sun Wukong, the fictional Monkey king, has been well known across the country for centuries. The Chinese character “monkey” pronounces the same as the character for “marquis”, so “monkey” is regarded as auspicious, and there are a lot of idioms and allusions about monkeys.

2004年特种邮票《甲申年》
国家邮政局2004年1月5日发行《甲申年》特种邮票1套1枚，小本票1本。
（1-1）T 甲申年 80分 5200万枚
志号：2004-1
版别：影写
邮票规格：36×36毫米
齿孔度数：13度（异形）
整张枚数：版式一24(4×6)、版式二6枚、版式三4枚
外形规格：版式一180×240毫米、版式二128×180毫米、版式三120mm×130mm
印制厂：北京邮票厂
邮票设计者：陈绍华
注：版式三，用于赠送2004年纪特邮票全额交款预订户。

“金猴”邮票在历次行情中都扮演了极其重要的角色，具有极为独特的魅力。因为有着不凡的“出身”和昂贵的身价，“金猴”票问世30年来，市场上不断出现各式各样的假“金猴”，其赝品包括新票、信销票和实寄封等几种。

据了解，面值0.8元的第三张 “ 猴票 ” 发行量为5200万枚，发行至今市场反馈相当不错。邮票设计者陈绍华介绍：第三轮生肖猴的设计想法是要和前两枚 猴票 ‘ 拉开距离，注重强调画面的现代感。其次也希望它更加市民化、宠物化，从前两套设计的传统民间艺术中脱颖出来，在强调时代感的同时结合中国吉祥的生肖文化元素。在互联网时代，希望大家能多多动手写信写贺卡，最好再贴上他设计的笑脸 “ 猴票 ” ，将喜气洋洋的好心情传递给每一个人。