A new set of stamps featuring monkeys was released by Macao Post on Jan 21. [Photo/Xinhua]

Macao

On Jan 21, Macao Post released a new set of stamps and souvenirs featuring monkeys to welcome the Year of the Monkey, which falls on Feb 8 this year.

Macao's stamp design is based on the theme "Fire Monkey", by presenting a scene from the classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West. The story, adapted into a famous Chinese opera, the story tells of how the sovereign accompanied the monk Xuanzang on a journey to India to retrieve sacred Buddhist texts known as sutras. The main character, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, puts down a conflagration on Fire Mountain with a magical fan.

Consisting of five stamps, the monkey set is the ninth issue in the third 12-year Lunar New Year series released by Macao Post.