On the morning of December 2nd, the launch event on the “Sage Series” of personalized stamps and zodiac stamps was held by China National Philatelic Company Limited. Meanwhile, the two eye-catching personalized stamps, the 1010th Birthday of Shao Yong and the 1000th Birthday of Wang Anshi, and the philatelic calendar of 2022 in collector’s edition (in large font), namely The Chinese Historical and Cultural Figures on Stamps, were also released.

Wang Jiarui, Vice Chairman of the 12th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Liu Aili, Chairman of China Post Group Corporation Limited (hereinafter referred to as China Post Group), Yang Limin, former president of All-China Philatelic Federation, Pu Xuedong, Director of the Marketing Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Pei Hua, Deputy Director of the General Office of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Li Guangdou, the expert in brand strategy, as well as leaders of relevant departments of China Post Group attended the ceremony. Wang Jiarui and Liu Aili jointly unveiled the personalized stamp of the 1010th Birthday of Shao Yong. Yang Limin and the leader from the Department of Postal Service of China Post Group jointly presented the personalized stamp of the 1000 birthday of Wang Anshi.

As the sole supplier offering postal services for Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, China Post gives full play to the role of Chinese stamps as the national business card and the strengths of the featured brand of Chinese philately, and is devoted to telling the story of Beijing Olympic Games via philatelic products. With 18 pieces in 5 series of commemorative stamps on the Olympic Games and relevant philatelic articles issued, China Post has made great contributions to spreading Olympic spirits and promoting winter sports. At the launch event, the long scroll of personalized stamps set displaying both the Chinese ancient winter sports culture and Beijing Winter Olympics culture, was made public. The set of stamps is the first personalized one which has the ancient Chinese paintings printed on Xuan paper ( a high quality paper made in Xuancheng, Anhui Province for traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy). Invisible perforation is creatively applied for the first time. The set of stamps is also the first of its kind to display all the main elements of Beijing Winter Olympics. Moreover, under the irradiation of ultraviolet lights, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic competition venues appear on the paper, thus realizing the effect of presenting two different scenes in one picture for the first time. The philatelic product vividly presents the scene of ice play in the Qing Dynasty and modern Winter Olympic events by combining both the ancient grand winter sports of China with the modern cultural elements of Beijing Winter Olympics, which manifests Chinese wisdom, Chinese sportsmanship and the confidence in Chinese culture.

It can be regarded as the longest stamp scroll to this day, containing two long scrolls of personalized stamps with the length of 2.02 meters. With the emblem of Beijing 2022 Olympics as its motif and the painting of Bingxi (frolic on ice) as its tab, which was painted in Qing Dynasty by Zhang Weibang and Yao Wenhan, the first ice play themed long scroll depicts a grand picture with rich events including speed skating, figure skating, event that integrates sliding with archery, grabbing balls on ice, and etc. The second long scroll is named as Winter Olympic Gala with the emblem of Beijing 2022 Olympics as its motif. On the scroll, the tab and the margins graphically present various elements of Beijing winter Olympics, such as the torch relay of the Olympics, 24 sports icons, introduction to 15 disciplines, medals, slogans and the Olympic motto.

This year is the 1010th anniversary of the birth of Shao Yong, deemed as Five Saints in the Northern Song Dynasty, as well as the 1000th birthday of Wang Anshi, chancellor and famous reformer in the same period. China National Philatelic Company Limited specially issued two personalized stamps in memory of them.

The stamp of the 1010th Birthday of Shao Yong is designed delicately with great ingenuity, which features “five first times”: presenting “Hetu and Luoshu”, two mystical diagrams on the universe for the first time; manifesting 28 Constellations on stamps for the first time; applying the layout of Bagua or the Eight Diagrams (symbols used in Taoist cosmology) to stamps for the first time; displaying two scenes in one stamp to show people’s life and Chinese poems for the first time; depicting the spirit of saints in an all-around way for the first time. The personalized stamp of the 1000th birthday of Wang Anshi, which is meticulously designed, displays Wang Anshi’s statesmanship, the beauty of woodblock printed books in the Song Dynasty and the vitality of the painting The Early Spring.