China Post issued a set of special zodiac stamps for the Year of Dog with two different designs Friday. The Year of Dog, or Chinese traditional lunar New Year of this year, starts from Feb. 16。
Stamp collectors in various parts of Jiangsu province were waiting overnight in the winter chill and rain on Friday to get their hands on the latest Chinese New Year stamps.
The special stamps are available only at the weekend and doors were due to open from 6:30am. Also available will be related items, such as a stamp album and hongbao, the traditional holiday "red envelopes" for cash gift-giving.
This year there will be 27 percent fewer Chinese New Year stamps than before, which made them more precious, said some philatelists.
Every year the New Year zodiac stamps' release is eagerly anticipated by collectors. Although China Post provides online sales, many local people, especially the elderly, queue up outside post offices with some even using items such as bricks or benches to save their place in the line.
The dog is the 11th year of the 12-year traditional Chinese zodiac cycle. It's commonly associated with loyalty and cleverness. The dog is also seen as a symbol of a thriving family or business since its bark resembles the sound of the Chinese word for "prosperity."
For the Chinese, it's customary to wear red or some zodiac-related item if a birthday falls in the prevailing animal year. That's supposed to bring good luck.
One of the new two-stamp set depicts a guard dog ready to take on enemies; the other shows a mother dog and puppy, symbolizing family harmony and love.
The two pictures as a whole express the wish for a happy home and a strong country.
The stamps were designed by 98-year-old Zhou Lingzhao, a master artist who participated in devising China's national emblem and the emblem of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
[voice over]Zhou also contributed to the design of the second, third and fourth editions of yuan notes.
In his long career, Zhou has created several sets of commemorative stamps.
