China's philatelists give Wuhan event their stamp of approval

The Large Dragon postage stamps, issued by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) government in 1878, marked the beginning of the modern postal service in China, hence the treasured status and high value of such stamps among philatelists - collectors who specialize in postage stamps.

According to Sun Jiangtao, artist and vice-president of the All-China Philatelic Federation, less than 20 complete sets of Large Dragon stamps now exist around the world.

He presented his private collection of Large Dragon stamps at the China 2019 World Stamp Exhibition, which took place in Wuhan, Hubei province from June 11 to 17, under the patronage of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie. The eight frames include different issues and drafts that record the stamps' design process, and collecting them has taken him over 20 years.