T043/T43, Chinese Classical Novel – The journey to the west《中国古典小说 — 西游记》

Stamp Title: Chinese Classical Novel – The journey to the west
Serial number: T43
Values in set: 8
(8-1), Water Shade Hole, 8 fen, 30*40 mm
(8-2), Monkey King fights Ne Zha, 8 fen, 30*40 mm
(8-3), Flat Peach Garden, 8 fen, 30*40 mm
(8-4), the Eight Diagrams Stove, 8 fen, 30*40 mm
(8-5), Monkey King vs Miss Skeletonia, 10 fen, 30*40 mm
(8-6), the Palm-leaf Fan, 20 fen, 30*40 mm
(8-7), Silk Hole, 60 fen, 30*40 mm
(8-8), The journey to the west, 70 fen, 30*40 mm
Date of issue: December 1, 1979
Denomination: 192 fen
Designer: Li Dawei
Size of stamps: 30*40mm
Perforation: 11.5*11
Sheet composition: 50(10*5)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Written by Wu Cheng’en (d. 1582), this very popular novel is based on the history of a Buddhist monk named Xuanzang traveling to India to bring Buddhist sutras back to China. But this simple history is ornamented with many popular stories and theatre plays like the rebellion of the monkey Sun Wukong, being subjugated by Buddha and forced to assist Xuanzang during his travel. The other compagnions of Xuanzang are the pig-human Zhu Bajie and the monk (Sha) Wujing, each with his own character. All of them have been punished for their greater or lesser crimes, and only acting together, then can manage to make their way to India. Battles scenes and magic spells, desciptions of exotic landscapes make out the popular welcome of this novel, while quotations of Daoist literature and many poems, songs and speeches also make this novel a very pretentious lecture. The exact description of daily life and human and celestial order even can induce a social critical interpretation of this novel.

T43 中国古典小说——西游记
（1） 8分 水帘洞 1500万枚
（2） 8分 战哪吒 1500万枚
（3） 8分 蟠桃园 1500万枚
（4） 8分 八卦炉 1500万枚
（5）10分 打白骨 400万枚
（6）20分 芭蕉扇 500万枚
（7）60分 盘丝洞 150万枚
（8）70分 取经路 150万枚
发行日期：1979.12.1。 影写版。P11.5×11。 30mm×40mm。 50（10×5）。
设计者：李大玮。
印刷厂：北京邮票厂。