Hong Kong Post issued a special set of stamps featuring Chinese
idioms and their stories here Thursday in a step to promote
traditional culture in the cosmopolis and cement its cultural roots
with the Chinese mainland.
"For many people, stamps are used to prepay postage; seldom do
they realize the cultural significance that such tiny stamps have
come to represent," said Joanna Choi, acting Postmaster General for
Hong Kong at the special stamps issuing ceremony.
"The Chinese idioms are the essence of the language," Choi said,
"Concise yet expressive, they contain profound meaning calling for
deep thought."
"With this set of special stamps, we aim to promote philately
and arouse the interest of Hong Kong children and students in
Chinese culture," she said.
Among the special stamps are four carefully chosen Chinese
idioms on family harmony, learning, personal development and
community relations, namely "Xiangjing Rubin" (meaning "respect
makes successful marriage"), "Kaijuan Youyi" (meaning "reading is
always rewarding"), "Wenji Qiwu" (meaning "rise at cockcrow and
practice kung fu, or prepare for success") and "Tongzhou Gongji"
(meaning "cross the river in the same boat", or pull together in
times of trouble).
The design for the four stamps combines traditional Chinese
dress and personal adornment with modern cartoon painting
techniques. Images with bold design and vivid color visualize the
messages the idiom stories which dated back to the Spring and
Autumn Period (770-475 BC).
Michael Fung, designer of the special stamps, said he himself
also learned a lot of knowledge about Chinese idioms during his
9-month design for the stamps.
"The four idioms were chosen because they concentrate the core
value of Chinese culture and they are simple to express in images,"
said Fung, who once designed stamps on late Chinese leader Deng
Xiaoping and traditional industries in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Post said other postal products on Chinese culture and
value may continue to debut in the market in future.
(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2006)
