A set of stamps featuring Journey to the West. [Photo/ From Internet]

Journey to the West, a famous Ming novel attributed to Wu Chengen, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It tells of the journey of Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzhuang and his three protectors Sun Wukong (also known as the Monkey King), Zhubaijia and Sha Wujing.

A set of 8 stamps featuring Journey to the West and designed by Li Dawei, was issued on Dec. 1, 1979. The designs intermingle Peking opera and animation to recreate famous scenes from the novel.