Together with La Poste, China Post is to issue a set of two commemorative stamps entitled The 60th Anniversary of China-France Diplomatic Relations on October 18, 2024. The designs of the stamps are named respectively The Mount Taishan and The Mont-Saint-Michel. The denomination of the whole set is 2.40 yuan, and the planned circulation is 6 million sets.

On January 27, 1964, China and France established ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations. The year 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Over the past 60 years, China and France have been committed to achieving common development through mutually beneficial cooperation, promoting mutual learning between civilizations through equal exchanges, and working together to tackle global challenges through multilateral coordination. The relationship between the two countries has created many “firsts” and achieved fruitful results, which not only benefits the peoples of both countries, but also plays an important role in maintaining world peace and stability and promoting a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations.

The design of the first stamp features Mount Taishan. Mount Taishan is China’s first scenic spot listed by UNESCO as a world cultural and natural heritage. As an important part of Chinese culture, Mount Taishan, like the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, has great symbolic significance and rich and profound cultural connotation. The design of the second stamp depicts the Mont-Saint-Michel. The Mont-Saint-Michel is a famous historic site and holy place of Christian civilization in France. The Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay were listed as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1979, and are also one of the first scenic spots in France inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Tai’an, a city where Mount Taishan is located, and Mont-Saint-Michel became sister cities in 1997. The two cities have conducted in-depth exchanges in tourism development and protection, cultural publicity and other fields, with their friendly relations continuously progressing.

The stamps are printed with UV offset printing ink, which presents richer color effect. The clever line design of the stamps creates a carving-like visual effect. The light golden ink used on the border ornament complements the designs, giving the overall picture a full yet elegant sense of sight.

This set of stamps was designed by Wang Yuliang and Sandrine Chimbaud (France), edited by Li Jinwei, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing House Company Limited with offset printing technology.

The stamps will be available for six months at designated postal outlets nationwide, online mall of China Philately, the mobile app of China Post, the WeChat Mall for philatelic products in the official WeChat account and the WeChat mini program of China Post Group. To present more information about the stamps, China Post will release the digital contents through the WeChat mini program “Encyclopedia of China Philately and Stamps”, where philatelists can learn more about the stamps via its AR function.