China issues special stamps featuring traditional Chinese opera

HANGZHOU, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China Post has issued a set of stamps featuring scenes from the Yue Opera, a traditional Chinese opera originating from east China's Zhejiang Province and one of the most popular Chinese opera genres.

The set consists of three special stamps featuring scenes from three plays, including "The Butterfly Lovers," a poignant love story often called the Chinese version of "Romeo and Juliet."

A ceremony for the release of the stamps was held on Monday in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang. Three groups of artists from the opera troupe of the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Theater performed excerpts from the plays.

According to Wang Binmei, director of the theater, the images on the stamps depict the most artistically captivating scenes of the three plays. The designers of the stamps have also captured the charm and fineness of Yue Opera in terms of character portrayal, stage design, and costume styling.

"We hope that the public can not only appreciate the stamps, but also feel the artistic charm of Yue Opera. Through the issuance of the stamps, we hope to promote the further development of the genre and draw the attention of stamp collectors to this art form," said Wang.