Yin Zonghua (third from right), deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, joins the guests of honor in presiding over the launching ceremony of China Post’s first-ever digital collection of special stamps, “Jia Chen Year”, at Cyberport on Jan 18, 2024. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

China Post Ltd launched the first-ever digital collection of special stamps, “Jia Chen Year” — issued using public blockchain technology — in Chinese postal history on Thursday in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. 

The launch ceremony, held at Hong Kong Cyberport, saw the release of five different sets of stamps, each comprising a combination of physical products and the “Jia Chen Year” digital encrypted stamps, with a total limited edition of 10,000 units.

The year 2024, known as the Jia Chen Year in the traditional “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches” system, or “Gan-Zhi”, marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac

Public blockchains, on which cryptocurrencies are based, are accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

READ MORE: China issues stamps to mark Mao's 130th birth anniversary 

China Post Ltd, the HKU Business School, DGS (Hong Kong) Fintech Co, and Beijing Longyuan Traditional Culture Exchange Promotion Center collaborated on the release and design of the series of stamps.

Chen Dacan, chairman of China Post Hong Kong Co, said, “The issuance of this stamp collection promotes Chinese traditional culture in innovative forms.”

Lin Chen, associate vice-president of the University of Hong Kong, said he believes stamps, which have a rich cultural heritage and a mature market for investment and collection, represent an excellent example of a physical asset in the Web3 community.

Di Na, Executive Director of Beijing Longyuan Traditional Culture Exchange Promotion Center, speaks at the launching ceremony of China Post's "Year of the A-century" Special Stamps Digital Collection at Hong Kong Cyberport on Jan 18, 2024. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Di Na, executive director of Beijing Longyuan Traditional Culture Exchange Promotion Center, noted that “The Chinese dragon symbolizes courage, power, wisdom and dignity. It represents the spirit of the Chinese nation and the pride of its people.” 

“The ‘Jia Chen Year’ digital stamp collection contains cultural connotations of carrying forward the Chinese dragon culture, promoting the spirit of the Chinese dragon, and spreading China’s voice to the world. The release aims to showcase the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture and explore the integration of this tradition with advanced technology,” she added.

China Post launches its "Year of the A-century" Special Stamps Digital Collection  at Hong Kong Cyberport on Jan 18, 2024. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

The year 2024, known as the Jia Chen Year in the traditional Heavenly Stems (tiangan) and Earthly Branches (dizhi) system, marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. This dragon year begins on Feb 10 and continues its reign until Jan 28, 2025.

Xu Jiayi, CEO of DGS (Hong Kong) Fintech, said that in addition to China, countries including Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Japan have also issued encrypted digital stamps.

READ MORE: Hongkong Post to issue ‘Year of the Dragon’ special stamps

Other launch ceremony attendees included Yin Zonghua, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, and Johnny Ng Kit-chong, a Hong Kong Legislative Council member.

Contact the writer at tianyuanzhang@chinadailyhk.com