The Post and Telecommunications Bureau (CTT) will launch a new collection of stamps and other postal items for the Chinese Lunar Year of the Ox next Tuesday, CTT Commercial Department Chief Ng Mei Kei said yesterday during a press conference at the bureau’s headquarters in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro.
According to Ng, the stamp collection uses four seasons as the theme of the stamp collection to represent the “ending of the Year of the Rat and the coming of the Year of the Ox”. Ng noted that the stamps use Chinese Yellow Cattle for spring, a dairy cow for summer, an ox for autumn and a yak for winter. Ng also said that to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the bureau purposely designed a collection of stamps and postal items for the public, hoping that the “ox mentality” can blend into civil society.
According to a statement handed out during the press conference, the “ox mentality” refers to “excellent qualities such as diligence, simplicity, honesty, loyalty, hard work and all without complaining. The statement added that “bow your head and be willing like an ox” was the “spiritual embodiment of tens of thousands of diligent”.
Ng noted that the whole collection will be sold for 17 patacas, with the first day cover being sold for 23 patacas. Ng added that other postal items will cost between 24 and 468 patacas.
Ng also said that the bureau will also launch an “Annual Album of Souvenir Sheets 2020” comprising the full collection of 16 sets of stamps issued in 2020, and thealbum will be priced at 318 patacas, while the album that comprises 15 souvenir sheet collections issued in the same year will be priced at 288 patacas.
Ng said that the items can be bought at the General Post Office in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, the Communications Museum and the Rua do Campo Post Office. Ng also said from January 20, residents can buy the label stamps at the designated automatic stamp vending machines at the General Post Office, Communications Museum and the Red Market (Almirante Lacerda) Post Office.
According to Ng, the bureau will also release the “Supplements for Philatelic Album of Macau 2020” on January 11 which will be available for sale at the Philatelic Shop of the General Post Office and the Communications Museum. Ng pointed out that the album pages are pre-printed with all the stamps’ images, adding that the collections of stamps and souvenir sheets for 2020 can be added to the pre-printed pages for convenient display. Ng noted that the philatelic album costs 390 patacas.
Other than the stamps and other postal items, Ng said that residents can also purchase Chinese Lunar New Year Cards to send one’s blessings to relatives and friends overseas. She pointed out that the greeting cards will be sold for 15 patacas each including a stamp that can be mailed anywhere in the world from January 11.
The 2021 Lunar Year of Ox stamps collection (top) and the label stamps will be available starting next Tuesday. Photo: Prisca Tang
