The zodiac culture is one of the most impressive and special Chinese folk cultures, and it is also a unique symbol and imprint of the Chinese nation.

On the morning of January 5^th, the first issue ceremony of the special stamp "Year of Jiachen" was held at Jiulongquan in Baiyun Mountain, Guangzhou. At the event, with the officials and guests pouring the water from Jiulongquan Spring into the stamp unveiling platform, the special stamps "Year of Jiachen" appeared in the mist.

It is understood that this stamp is the ninth set of the fourth round of Chinese zodiac stamps, designed by the famous stamp designer Wang Huming. The stamp set consists of two stamps. The first stamp is named "Tianlong Xingjian (天龙行健)". Derived from the Nine-Dragon Wall, the five-clawed golden dragon on the stamp rouses its head vigorously and lively, stepping on the wave-like clouds, expressing the expectation of joy, harmony, and good fortune.

The second coin is named "Chenlong Xianrui (辰龙献瑞)", where two symmetrical gold dragons inspired by the traditional auspicious pattern "Xianglong Gongbi (祥龙拱璧)". With smooth and beautiful lines, the stamp expresses sincere blessings for a prosperous and auspicious new year.

It is worth noting that the set of "Year of Jiachen" zodiac stamps printed in one sheet was also unveiled in this first issue ceremony. This is the first time that the postal departments of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao have jointly printed stamps with the same theme. "The set will include stamps from the three regions in one sheet. In the future, each year, such sets sheets will be issued by the three regions," said Ma Yaohai, Marketing Manager of the Guangzhou Branch of China Post.

Ma introduced that the issuance of the "Year of Jiachen" this time is around 30 million, with a decrease of nearly 30% compared to last year. In addition to stamps, China Post has also designed commemorative envelopes, miniature sheets, and souvenir sheets as supporting products.

The reporter noticed that Mr. Li, a citizen, was stamping several envelopes with the stamps of "Year of Jiachen". Mr. Li was born in 1988, and this year is his zodiac year. "There are more than ten of us in our company who were born in the Year of the Dragon. We are close friends. I was lucky enough to be selected to witness the first issue ceremony, so I want to share this good luck with my colleagues."

Source :Yangcheng Evening News

龙年生肖邮票广州首发！属龙市民：拿下了

生肖文化是中华优秀传统文化中最为璀璨夺目的民俗文化之一，也是中华民族的独特标记和烙印。

1月5日上午，《甲辰年》特种邮票首发活动在广州的龙脉之地——广州白云山九龙泉举行。现场，随着各位领导嘉宾将九龙泉泉水注入邮票揭幕台，栩栩如生、大气祥和的《甲辰年》特种邮票在腾云驾雾之中与在场观众见面。

据了解，这款邮票是中国生肖邮票第四轮中的第九套，由著名邮票设计家王虎鸣设计。邮票一套两枚，第一枚名为“天龙行健”，邮票上的五爪金龙形象源自九龙壁上的造型，龙首昂扬向上，矫健生动，脚踏云纹气浪，神采飞扬，表达了喜庆祥和、迎吉纳福的美好期望。

第二枚名为“辰龙献瑞”，描绘了两条对称的平面装饰风格的金龙，取材于传统吉祥纹样“祥龙拱璧”，轮廓线条流畅优美，表达了对新的一年腾龙盛世、吉祥如意的真挚祝福。

值得注意的是，本次首发仪式增设《甲辰年》生肖邮票小全张揭幕式，这是内地邮政和香港、澳门邮政部门首次共同印制的同题材邮票小全张。“这次是将三地的邮票图案都集合在一张邮票内。接下来每年，三地都会发行邮票小全张。”中国邮政集团有限公司广州市分公司市场部经理马耀海表示。

马耀海介绍道，本次《甲辰年》特种邮票的发行量在3000万张左右，相较去年减少了近30%。除了邮票外，中国邮政还配套设计了纪念封、小版票、大版票等产品。

记者在现场看到，市民李先生正给几个贴有《甲辰年》特种邮票的信封盖邮戳。李先生出生于1988年，今年正是他的本命年。“我们单位有十几个属龙的平时都一起聚，我运气比较好抽中了现场见证首发仪式，所以想给同事们也带点‘好运’回去。”

文、图丨记者 杭莹