Canada's Year of the Monkey international rate stamp (left) and domestic rate stamp were inspired by the legend of the Monkey King. [Xinhua/Zou Zheng]

Canada

Canada Post released a collection of stamps featuring a monkey on Jan 11 to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. A golden Monkey King figure, vibrant and alive against a rich red background, is on the domestic rate stamp and monkey head dressed in the Peking opera-style mask and headdress appears on the international rate stamp. The international rate stamp will be released on Feb 1.

Domestic and international stamps were inspired by the legend of the Monkey King, who is also known as Sun Wukong in the Chinese language, one of the main characters in the classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West.

The domestic stamp depicts a golden figure that is vibrant and alive against a rich red background that provides a stark and striking contrast, while the international-rate stamp features a stylized Monkey King mask with red and gold accents. The word ‘monkey’ is on the stamps is in Chinese, English and French.