China Post Group Corporation Limited (China Post Group) held a ceremony on the morning of October 27 at its headquarters for the issuance of the lottery new year postcards of 2022—the Year of Renyin and the postcards featuring Beijing Winter Olympic venues. Kang Ning, Vice President of China Post Group, Piao Xuedong, head of Marketing Department of Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Liu Jingui, doctoral supervisor and professor of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Wang Hongwei, doctoral supervisor and professor of Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University, Zhang Hao, a world figure skating champion, and other relevant leaders and guests attended the ceremony and unveiled the postcards. The prominent Chinese artist Han Meilin, also UNESCO Artist for Peace, extended his congratulations on the event via a short video.

That day also marked the 100-day countdown to the opening of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Therefore, besides the 2022 lottery new year postcards, China Post issued a set of 3D engraving postcards Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics: Competition Venues at the same time. With the special technology of high relief, this set of postcards demonstrates the distinct China chic of the competition venues and their strong sense of high-tech and the times.

With the first-issue ceremony themed as “Letters Live”, China Post means to pay tribute to traditional Chinese culture, convey its faith in letter-writing culture, and highlight its responsibility in carrying out the universal postal service, delivering better life and transmitting warmth and best wishes. New year philatelic products with lottery numbers are important carriers of letter-writing culture, a distinctive name card of universal postal service as well as an affective brand lasted for 30 years.

Designed by well-known artists and calligraphers, the 2022 lottery new year philatelic products emphasize the cultural value of postcards by integrating various elements of traditional Chinese culture, such as letter writing, zodiacs, festivals and folk customs, and manifest the happy and peaceful festivity in rich artistic forms. 8 pieces of zodiac postage designs, 2 pieces of designated new year greeting stamps and 16 pieces of promotional postage meter stamps are newly added to the new year philatelic products, which also include ordinary postcards, maximum postcards, maximum letter cards, greeting cards and a piece of new year miniature sheet. The new year miniature sheet, incorporating special new year greeting stamps Good Luck in Year of Renyin and Embracing Five Blessings, takes the Chinese character “福” (meaning blessings) and the landscape design as background to show the jubilance of the festival. Prof. Liu Jingui, Prof. Wang Hongwei, stamp designer Wang Huming, also member of China Artists Association, as well as senior designer Guo Zhiyi of China National Philatelic Company Limited, interpreted the design philosophies and specific information of products on site of the event.

It is said that the series of lottery new year philatelic products this year focus on zodiac culture and the folk culture of the Spring Festival, and underline four innovations. First, 2 sheets of the special new year greeting stamps Good Luck, Year of Renyin and Embracing Five Blessings and the miniature sheet of the stamps are designed into a special new year greeting album for limited release in China. This is the first time to issue a special album containing two sheets of new year greeting stamps with the implications of blessings for every month and every year. Second, China Post will launch special new year greeting parcels with lottery numbers. These parcels integrate the lottery new year greetings into the form of parcels for the first time. With flat postal rate within certain weight limit, such parcels can reach anywhere in China, bearing the functions of lottery draw and personalized sonic greetings, thus sending warm regards to families and friends. Third, the engraved zodiac maximum postcards will be issued with a limited circulation on January 5, 2022. Fourth, digital anti-counterfeit colored postage meter stamps with national unified code was used for the first time in the set of 3D engraving postcards Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics: Competition Venues, which, with limited circulation, are well worth appreciation and collection.