Stamp Issue of Label Stamp “Lunar Year of the Rat”

Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau issued the label stamps “Lunar Year of the Snake”, “Lunar Year of the Horse”, “Lunar Year of the Goat”, “Lunar Year of the Monkey”, “Lunar Year of the Rooster”, “Lunar Year of the Dog” and “Lunar Year of the Pig” under the stamp series of Chinese Zodiac between 2013 and 2019. The eighth issue with the stamp theme “Lunar Year of the Rat” will be issued on 4^th August, 2020, the printing quantity is 1,000,000 label stamps.

Although the rat is the head of the Chinese zodiac signs, the zodiac animal has often been deemed as cunning and sneaky in daily life appearances, both at home and abroad. Chinese phrases like “Timid as a rat”, “Short-sighted with the vision of a rat” and “Shifty-eyed and thievish-looking like a rat” are mostly derogatory. In both Chinese and Western cultures, rats seem to have become the embodiment of evil.

In the folk art of China, paper-cuts and Lunar New Year paintings of themes like “the wedding of a rat’s daughter” and “the wheat-eating rat”, have all signified that human beings are blessed with incessant reproduction of abundant offspring. Similarly, in modern western films and television culture, rats are also rendered as the protagonists of animation and films endowed with certain virtues, such as wisdom, humor, kindness, love, and courage. In both Chinese and Western artistic creations, rats have once again been granted a positive portrayal.

The above issue will be available for sale at the General Post Office and the Communications Museum, from 9:00a.m. to 5:30p.m., the “Rua do Campo” Post Office, from 9:00a.m. to 7:00p.m., the Maritime Ferry Terminal Post Office, from 11:00a.m. to 6:00p.m., and the Airport Post Office, from 10:00a.m. to 7:00p.m. The mail service for the relative philatelic products cancelled with the commemorative postmark will be available on the issue date at the above locations. The philatelic products are as follows:

On the issue date, the maximum sales quota per queuing customer is 20 sets of 4 label stamps, 5 first day covers with label stamps and 5 information brochures with label stamps.

Arrangement of automatic stamp vending machines

The following designated automatic stamp vending machines will have a temporary arrangement; the maximum time limit for using the vending machine is 5 minutes for each queuing customer.

- General Post Office, Lobby

- Communications Museum, Ground Floor

- Red Market (Almirante Lacerda) Post Office

The stamp designer of this issue is Ms. Anita, Fung Pou Chu, and the text of the information brochure is written by Mr. Gong Gang.

The previous issued stamps in 2020: “Lunar Year of the Rat” (commemorative stamps) on 05/01/2020, “70^th Anniversary of the Macao Federation of Trade Unions” on 20/01/2020, “Gastronomy and Sweets III – Traditional Popular Snacks” on 01/03/2020, “Regional Medicinal Plants II” on 20/04/2020, “70^th Anniversary of the Women’s General Association of Macau” on 21/05/2020, “Centenary of the Macau Red Cross” on 12/06/2020, “Fight Against the Epidemic Together” on 24/06/2020, and “Chinese Medicine” on 03/07/2020.

Technical Data of Label Stamp “Lunar Year of the Rat”

Details