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.

"This set of stamps is particularly difficult to find, and I believe my collection is unparalleled because it includes a lot of stamps known to be the only ones of their kind left in the world," Sun says.

This is the first time that his set of Large Dragon stamps has been displayed at a world stamp exhibition, and they won him the Large Gold Medal in the traditional philately category.

Just like Sun, other philatelists and philatelic organizations from 85 countries and regions brought their stamp collections to exhibit and compete in the international event.

This year is the third time that China has hosted a world stamp exhibition since it joined the organization in 1983.

A highlight of this year's event was the rare stamp exhibition drawn from the collections of the China National Post and Postage Stamp Museum.

A lot of these rare stamps help record the transformation of China and its modern history, such as the coiling dragon stamps of the Qing Dynasty printed with the words "provisional neutrality" and "Republic of China".

The overprints were added after the Revolution of 1911, when the Republic of China (1912-49) overthrew the Qing government but did not have enough time to print new postage stamps.

The exhibition also included the manuscripts of Robert Alexis de Villard, the original designer of the coiling dragon stamps. His manuscripts are the earliest stamp design records in the China National Post and Postage Stamp Museum's collection.

"Considering a lot of postal materials from that era have been lost, his manuscripts are an important record in China's postal history, from which we can learn the ins and outs of stamp design during that time," says Ma Lin, vice-president of the Wuhan Philatelic Association.

"The event brings the precious collections from the China National Post and Postage Stamp Museum to the public, which I think represents a high standard for stamp exhibitions," Ma adds.

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, another special exhibition at the Wuhan event displayed over 4,000 commemorative stamps released in China over the past 70 years, including those jointly issued by China and foreign countries.

"Chinese stamps have prospered especially during the 40 years since the reform and opening-up started, "Li Jinzhu, a fellow of the All-China Philatelic Federation, says. "Chinese stamps have begun to participate in international cooperation. So far China has jointly issued stamps with nearly 40 countries."

The design scripts of the biggest set of stamps in China's history, Unity of All Ethnic Groups in China, were also on display. The set had been issued at the 50th anniversary of the founding of New China and includes 56 stamps, each depicting an ethnic group.

This year marks the first time that the world stamp exhibition offered a section for people with disabilities.

Ten years ago when the 2009 World Stamp Exhibition took place in Luoyang, Henan province, Li Shaohua, a fellow of the All-China Philatelic Federation who has mobility impairment, founded the China Disabled Persons Stamp Collecting Association.

According to Li, currently president of the association, the association now has more than 1,000 members. Over 200 members from the association attended the world stamp exhibition on the first day, bringing 124 sets of stamps.

"Establishing a section for people with disabilities is groundbreaking. It fulfills the wish of many disabled philatelists across China and shows the care devoted to the disabled," he says.

As for Li, he brought his own collection entitled Disability and Recovery, intending to raise awareness for the disabled and motivate them on their road to recovery.

In the first frame of his collection, a stamp from the United States sums up his attitude toward disability and his encouragement for all people with disabilities, with a caption that reads "disabled doesn't mean unable".

"A lot of disabled people are actually very willing to participate in cultural activities. Stamp exhibitions provide them with a means to communicate with other people," Li says. "I would like to help them strengthen their love for life and the belief to never give in to disability."

chengyuezhu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Global 06/25/2019 page14)