This is the official hardcover special edition of the "Chinese Classic Novel Postage Stamps Pictorial — The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (II)," issued in 2002 (the 91st year of the Republic) by the Directorate General of Posts, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Taiwan. Please see below for a detailed description of the contents. Due to the weight of this item, a HK$20 discount will be offered if the transaction is completed in person via a face-to-face handover at Wong Tai Sin MTR Station.
1. A Fusion of "Traditional Opera Culture" and "Modern Stage Photos"A major highlight of this special edition is the inclusion of "Color Postal Cards." Rather than using traditional paintings, these postcards feature real-stage photos of Peking opera/traditional theater actors portraying legendary scenes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (such as Guan Yu and Hua Tuo in "Scraping the Bone to Away the Poison," and Zhuge Liang in "Playing a Lute to Make the Enemy Retreat"). This cross-disciplinary integration of a "classic novel," "traditional opera," and "philatelic collectibles" is highly unusual for a stamp pictorial.
2. A Rich Variety of Philatelic Collectibles (Block-of-Four Souvenir Sheet + Single Stamps)This pictorial comprehensively satisfies a diverse range of collecting preferences in one single volume:Single Stamps with In-depth Commentary: For instance, single stamps are mounted on the left side (such as "Rescuing the Young Lord Alone," face value NT$3.50), while the right side features a detailed introduction to the historical and fictional backgrounds (including a fascinating comparison between the historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms and the fictional novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms).
Complete Souvenir Sheet: The latter part of the pictorial houses a complete block-of-four souvenir sheet, beautifully adorned on the left with a fine illustration of Zhao Yun dressed in his signature white robe and silver armor for a Peking opera performance.
3. Four Classic Scenes Selected for the Second SeriesThe four stamps included in this second series (corresponding to the four stamps on the souvenir sheet) are:
Fighting Against Lu Bu (Face value: NT$3.50)
Rescuing the Young Lord Alone / Saving the Master Single-Handed (Face value: NT$3.50)
Scraping the Bone to Away the Poison (Face value: NT$5.00)
Playing a Lute to Make the Enemy Retreat / The Empty Fort Strategy (Face value: NT$20.00)
*(Note: The total face value of the souvenir sheet is NT$32)*
4. Exquisite Classical Binding and Bilingual Chinese-English PresentationExterior
Design: The cover utilizes an elegant, rustic kraft paper color palette, printed with traditional Chinese fine-line (Gongbi) illustrations of core Three Kingdoms characters (including Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fai, and Zhuge Liang), accompanied by bold, vigorous calligraphy, fully embodying traditional Chinese aesthetics.
International Presentation: From the cover title (The Romance of the Three Kingdoms II) to the inner-page stories and postcard descriptions, the entire text is presented in parallel Chinese and English, making it perfect for international cultural exchange or as a gift for overseas friends.
By seamlessly weaving the novel, postage stamps, theatrical stage photos, postcards, and historical narratives together, this special pictorial offers far more storytelling and reading value than a standalone stamp or souvenir sheet. It is a highly coveted, comprehensive collectible for any enthusiast of the Three Kingdoms theme.