J162 2540th Anniversary of the Birth of Confucius Stamp, 1989

J162 2540th Anniversary of the Birth of Confucius Stamp, 1989

Confucius (551–479 BC) was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of theSpring and Autumn period of Chinese history.

The philosophy of Confucius emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. His followers competed successfully with many other schools during the Hundred Schools of Thought era only to be suppressed in favor of theLegalists during the Qin Dynasty. Following the victory of Han over Chu after the collapse of Qin, Confucius's thoughts received official sanction and were further developed into a system known as Confucianism.

Confucius's principles had a basis in common Chinese tradition and belief. He championed strong family loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of elders by their children and (in traditional interpretations) of husbands by their wives. He also recommended family as a basis for ideal government. He espoused the well-known principle "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself", an early version of the Golden Rule.

The theme of those two stamps in this set are 

"Confucius gives lectures at Xing Tan" 
Xing'Tan is translated as Apricot Terrace which is said to be where Confucius in his last years had delivered his lectures.

" Confucius Traveling Through Various States" 
Confucius was a famous statesman in the Spring and Autumn Period, when vassals were contending for hegemony and the royal family was declining. With his political thoughts of "rectifying society and helping the people", Confucius traveled through various states on lobbying tours. But he was never put in an important position. In his late years, he had no choice but to engage himself in lecturing and writing. He ended up becoming a representative figure of Confucianism.

It is the morality value behind those stamps that make them worthwhile to collect.

T138 outlaws of the marsh II, 1989

T138 outlaws of the marsh II, 1989

Outlaws of the Marsh, (水浒传 Shui Hu Zhuan, sometimes abbreviated to Shui Hu), also translated asTale of the Marshes, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is a novel attributed to Shi Nai'an. Considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, the novel is written in vernacular Chinese rather thanClassical Chinese.

The story, set in the Song Dynasty, tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gathers at Mount Liang(or Liangshan Marsh) to form a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. It has introduced to readers many of the most well known characters in Chinese literature, such as Wu Song, Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen.

The set of stamps is about four stories that were told in the literature. They are Wu Song Beats Tiger, Thunderbolt at Night Traverses a Field of Rubble, Hua Rong Shoots a Wild Goose on Mount Liangshan, and Black Whirlwind Fights White Streak in the Waves.

The delicate design and interesting stories make the set of stamp valuable to collect.

18T Three Gorges on Yangtze, 1994

18T Three Gorges on Yangtze, 1994

The Three Gorges on the Yangtze River is a collective name of Qutang, Wuxia, and Xiling gorges. The Yangtze is the longest river in China. As the longest canyons in the world, the three gorges are of the upper reaches of the river and boast their precipitous and beautiful scenes on both sides and rich waterpower resources.

The set of stamps are of great value of collection, because the beautiful nature scenery of the Three Gorges does not exist any more because of the Three Gorges Project. And hence, the beautiful Three Gorges has become a memory for many people.

Selected Works of FU Baoshi, 1994, China

Selected Works of FU Baoshi, 1994, China

After the publication of this set of stamps, they become many western and Chinese artists' favorite. There are also a lot of philatelists who love this set of stamps. That is because of the chic and elegant style of the artworks, as well as the artistic conception that is full of fun and miracle.

J1 Centenary of the Founding of Universal Postal Union Stamps, 1974

J1Centenary of Universal Postal Union, 1974 

Circulation: 100 million

N66-77 Historical Relics Unearthed During Cultural Revolution, 1973

N66-77 Historical Relics Unearthed During Cultural Revolution, 1973

The set of stamps are beautifully designed. Its circulation was only 1.5 million. Because many Chinese cultural relics was a massively destroyed destruction during the Cultural Revolution , which has caused huge reduction in the number of cultural relics, and hence increased the value of surviving relics dramatically. That's why this set of stamps are really valuable and suitable for stamp collection.