Author|Liu Jing
As a symbol of the Chinese nation, the dragon has been an auspicious omen since ancient times. Do you know? China's first stamp, the Daqing Dragon Post, is printed with the image of a dragon! Today, this Daqing Dragon Stamped is very rare, and the price is ridiculously high. According to public information inquiries, in a recent auction, the transaction price of 3 dragon posts was as high as 5.52 million yuan!
2024, the year of Jiachen, the year of the dragon. The Year of the Dragon stamps are based on showing the excellent traditional Chinese culture, on the basis of inheriting the overall style of the Zodiac series of stamps, the material is solid, the idea is auspicious, and the image of the dragon is agile and dignified, auspicious and vigorous, highly in line with the aesthetic orientation of festive and auspicious, and welcoming the blessing of the country.
"Jiachen Year" special stamps
On January 5, 2024, China Post will issue a special stamp entitled "The Year of Jiachen". The stamps are printed with auspicious elements of the Year of the Dragon, symbolizing prosperity and peace and security.
The first stamp, titled "Heavenly Dragon Marching", is printed with a golden dragon holding its head high, symbolizing the vigorous and self-improvement spirit of the "descendants of the dragon". The image and font of the golden dragon originate from the Nine Dragons Wall of the Forbidden City, and there are auspicious flames and auspicious cloud patterns next to it, which set off the Chinese red background, perfectly showing a beautiful picture of blessing and auspiciousness.
The second stamp, titled "Chenlong Xianrui", is inspired by the traditional Chinese auspicious pattern "auspicious dragon arch". The whole picture and the shape of the stamp constitute the pattern of "the sky is round and the place is round", which is harmonious and solemn. The central jade bi has the word "auspicious" in combination, which means auspiciousness and consummation, blessing and health. The Ruyi pattern on the top conveys the meaning of harmony and auspiciousness, and the water pattern, cloud pattern and dragon image below together show the grand scene of the dragon soaring all over the world.
"The First Hour of the Year" stamp
On 5 January 2024, Hong Kong, China will issue a set of four stamps and two souvenir sheets. This is also the first set of the fifth round of the zodiac issued by Hong Kong Post of China. This set of stamps is both traditional and new, with the main motif being a dragon-shaped paper-cut craft, which has been carefully designed and crafted, with different graphic elements and festive colours, filling the festive atmosphere of the flying dragon.
In addition, Hongkong Post of China has issued two souvenir sheets in accordance with the usual practice, of which the HK$50 souvenir sheet is the first laser decopted stamp sheetlet issued by Hong Kong Post of China.
"Macao Year of the Dragon" stamps
The Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau of China has also come to join in the fun! The new stamp "Macao Year of the Dragon" to be issued has a unique flavor! The dragons on these stamps are all drawn using traditional Chinese painting styles and techniques, and have strong Chinese characteristics and artistic charm. The four stamps are composed of a carved dragon made of mahogany, an embroidered dragon, a dragon carved in imitation of Chinese jade and a colorful dragon boat, with the word "dragon" in cursive script in the center diamond-shaped area, full of cultural atmosphere!
Each stamp has a unique theme, namely "Dragon Flying in the Clouds", "Dragon Dance in the Nine Heavens", "Dragon Soaring in the Four Seas" and "Dragon Riding the Orb", which symbolize the magic and power of the dragon. Moreover, the background color of each stamp also has a different meaning, red, yellow, blue and purple, which represent festivity, dignity, coolness and peace, respectively, and complement the image of the dragon, forming a beautiful picture.
In addition to the four stamps, Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau (CTT) will also issue a stamp sheetlet featuring wood carving, embroidery and jade dragon carvings, with the words "Lunar New Year", "Dragon Boat Festival Midsummer", "Mid-Autumn Festival" and "Winter Solstice Reunion" printed around the four seasons according to the changing seasons, symbolizing the peace of the four seasons. The picture is presented in the form of traditional Chinese folk art - paper-cutting, the dragon on the souvenir sheet is cut out with laser technology, the paper-cut pattern presents a golden luster, and the exquisite paper-cut design and exquisite production technology will undoubtedly make this set of stamps a good collection to welcome the Year of the Dragon.
Different from previous years, China Post also joined hands with the postal departments of Hong Kong and Macao, China to jointly print for the first time a souvenir sheet of the three places with the same theme of the Chinese zodiac "Jia Chen Nian", which implies the future of integration and symbiosis between the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and also reflects the profound connotation of Chinese culture.
"Dragon-Theme" Chinese New Year stamps
Every year during the Spring Festival, the mainland postal department will issue Chinese New Year stamps in addition to issuing zodiac stamps. Since 2006, Chinese New Year stamps have been part of the Chinese New Year and have continued to this day. To welcome the Year of the Dragon, China Post has issued a set of 1 special stamps for the Chinese New Year on 15 November 2023.
This set of stamps is displayed through the passion, dignity, auspiciousness and artistic techniques of the dragon zodiac, combining shapes and words, movement and stillness. Its design is inspired by the folk flower and bird characters, using the Chinese character "He" and the hovering dragon body interspersed and combined, and the dragon head is raised with the auspicious meaning of "the dragon raises its head". This implication conveys the national spirit full of hope and self-confidence, and creates a prosperous and jubilant festival atmosphere.
Foreign stamps of "Dragon in Dragon".
The Spring Festival is approaching, and many countries and regions have successively launched stamps full of Chinese flavor for the Year of the Dragon. For example, the Åland Islands, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, etc., have all issued various stamps of "dragon in dragon" before the Lunar New Year in 2024.
On 20 October 2023, the Åland Islands issued a super distinctive Year of the Dragon souvenir sheetlet stamp. The souvenir sheet is set against the backdrop of a stretch of beach in the East Harbour of Mariehamn, the capital of the Åland Islands. The character "Dragon" on the boy's clothes, the "Mommy" and "Ice Cream" written by the girl on the beach, and the red "Year of the Dragon" on the left side of the souvenir sheet are all full of Chinese elements and full of creativity.
On November 1, 2023, Japan issued the "Year of the Dragon" stamps, including 2 Chinese New Year stamps and 2 Chinese New Year prize stamps.
On November 13, 2023, the stamp kingdom of Liechtenstein designed a stamp for the Year of the Dragon, which integrates the concept of flying in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang and ancient stone carvings.
On December 1, 2023, South Korea issued a set of 2 stamps for the Year of the Dragon. One is a dragon head, and the other is a dragon in the clouds, in the form of an anime with a holographic laser hot stamping ticket.
On December 6, 2023, New Zealand issued a full set of 4 Chinese lunar "Year of the Dragon" zodiac stamps, the design concept continues the style of Chinese New Year dolls in previous years, which is very distinctive. Among them, the $2 "Longevity Noodles" stamp, which depicts a dragon sticking out of a bowl of noodles filled with ferns, the length of which represents people's wishes for a long and prosperous life. The $3.3 "Garden of Prosperity" stamp, which depicts a dragon helping a toddler harvest cabbage, symbolizes the gardener's contribution to New Zealand gardening. The $4 "Land of Good Fortune" tells the story of the 1865 gold rush in Otago, which attracted miners from Guangzhou, China. This stamp shows cherubs holding mining tools, their work guarded by a dragon, the $6.9 "Festival Fireworks" tells the story of Thomas Wong Doo, who was born in Guangzhou around 1903 and opened a fireworks shop on Hobson Street in Oakland in 1940, and depicts a puppet-like dragon with starry fireworks in the distance.
As a cultural business card, the small stamps build a bridge between dragon culture and New Year blessings, these "dragon elements" full of stamps, do you like them?
(Courtesy of the author)
(Editor in charge: Xue Xiaoyu)