Stamps set to mark Year of Rooster

Rooster-themed stamps to celebrate the Year of the Rooster are displayed at a post office in Weifang, Shandong province, on Tuesday.[Photo by Zhang Chi/For China Daily]

China Post Group Co will release a new set of rooster-themed stamps to celebrate the Year of the Rooster based on the Chinese zodiac.

The set, which goes on sale on Thursday at designated post offices, includes two stamps and has a face value of 2.4 yuan ($0.34). People can also buy them through the company's official app as well as on its online shop on WeChat, according to an announcement by the company.

One stamp features a running rooster, while the other displays a hen with two chickens.

Han Meilin, designer of the stamp set, said many artists enjoy painting roosters because of their colorful feathers, adding that the animal is the most popular topic of folk paintings in China, according to a report by China News Service.

Han said Chinese have a special affinity for roosters because their silhouette resembles the shape of China on a map. "The stamps symbolize family harmony," he added.