Classical Chinese poetry is one of the great treasures of our nation’s cultural heritage. Featuring a great variety of subject matter and styles, it can express personal emotions, describe natural scenery, or reflect real social conditions. Those ancient poets’ work has remained much loved by later generations. Tang Dynasty poetry was truly the golden age of classical Chinese poetry, and it had tremendous influence on the poetry of subsequent dynasties.Generally speaking, Tang Dynasty poetry can be divided into two types: quatrains and lushi (regulated verse). The former consists of poems of four lines, and the latter consists of poems of eight lines. Each line typically comprises five or seven characters. Chunghwa Post is releasing a set of four stamps featuring quatrains with five-character lines. Descriptions of their designs follow:1. “Climbing White Stork Tower,” Wang Zhihuan (NT$6): “The sun sinks behind the ridge / As the Yellow River flows seaward. / To behold a thousand-mile vista / Just climb one story higher.”2. “River Snow,” Liu Zhongyuan (NT$8): “A hundred hills without a bird in sight / A thousand paths with ne’er a footprint / In a cloak and a bamboo hat, one man aboard a boat / Casts a lonely line as snow falls upon the river.”3. “Longing,” Wang Wei (NT$9): “Red beans grow in southern climes / Sending up shoots in springtime / Please gather me a bunch / Such longing do they engender!”4. “Quiet Night Thoughts,” Li Bai (NT$15): “Bright moonlight before my bed / I suppose there is frost upon the ground / My head rises to view the bright moon / Then lowers to fill with thoughts of home.”