2018-08-23 Thu

The UNPA will release a special sheet of three postage stamps on 21st September depicting the ancient Chinese poem the Ballad of Mulan. The sheet will also honour Macao 2018, the 35th Asian international stamp exhibition and will be released on the first day of the event. The exhibition will go on till 24th September at the Macao Venetian Convention and Exhibition Centre. The stamps are produced using a special laser-cut technology and its designs look like Cantonese opera masks. A $1.15 stamp is for the U.N. headquarters in New York City; a 2 francs stamp for the Palais des Nations in Geneva; and a 1.80 stamp is for Vienna International Center. Hua Mulan is depicted on the 1.80 stamp and in the selvage of the souvenir sheet. She was a folktale character who joins Army to replace her old father. Cantonese opera actresses Madam Lang Yunyu and Guo Fengnv had enacted these folk tales and the designs are inspired by them. The $1.15 stamp features Bao Zheng or Justice Bao. He was a government official who lived from 999 to 1062, but his life has been fictionalised into moral stories for many years. The 2fr stamp features warrior and general Guan Yu. He died around 220 and his life has inspired many folktales. Judge Bao symbolises justice, Guan Yu stands for loyalty and righteousness while Hua Mulan represents bravery and equality. Image Courtesy: The UNPA