National Parks of China
1958 “Architecture of Ancient Chinese Pagodas”
- On 15 March 1958 China Post issued the set S21 “Architecture of Ancient Chinese Pagodas”, four stamps:
- (127) 8 fen: Songyue Temple pagoda, Dengfeng
- (128) 8 fen: Qianxun pagoda, Dali
- (129) 8 fen: Sakyamuni pagoda, Yingxian
- (130) 8 fen: Feihong pagoda, Hongzhao
The Sakyamuni pagoda of the Fogong Temple in Yingxian, the “Yingxian wooden pagoda”, was built in 1056 under the Liao. Octagonal, with five visible storeys and four hidden ones, 30 m across at the base and 67.13 m high, it is the oldest and tallest all-timber pagoda surviving in the world. Its structure is so sound that it stood unmoved through a seven-day earthquake in the Yuan dynasty. Inside are fine painted Liao statues of the Buddha.
1994 “Ancient Pagodas of China”
- On 15 December 1994 China Post issued 1994-21 “Ancient Pagodas of China”, four stamps, with a souvenir sheet the same day:
- (4-1) 20 fen: Big Wild Goose Pagoda of the Ci’en Temple, Xi’an
- (4-2) 20 fen: Zhenguo pagoda of the Kaiyuan Temple, Quanzhou
- (4-3) 50 fen: Liuhe Pagoda of the Kaihua Temple, Hangzhou
