The CHINA 2019 FIP General World Stamp Exhibition, also known as "the Olympic Games for Philately", opened on Tuesday in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, marking the first major international philatelic cultural exchange event for China in the new era. Featuring 4,683 framed sets of works, the event attracted stamp organizations from 84 countries and regions. A total of 81 international judges and 85 international collectors participated in the exhibition, and national postal representatives from 22 members of the Universal Postal Union came to China for exchanges. Since the birth of the world's first stamp "Penny Black" over 100 years ago, stamps have become not only postage certificates, but also important carriers to display human civilization and disseminate excellent culture, said Chinese transport minister Li Xiaopeng, also the director of the event's organizing committee. Highlighting mutual prosperity, peace and mutual trust, cultural exchanges and ecological mutual assistance, the event is not only a cultural feast, but also a grand occasion for cultural exchanges and mutual learning among countries all over the world, Li added. The exhibition showcased for the first time 4,668 stamps in 1,347 sets the People's Republic of China has issued since its founding 70 years ago. A total of 34 precious items from collectors and museums both in China and overseas are also exhibited, including a set of 56 commemorative stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The unique set consists of 56 stamps with each representing one Chinese ethnic group, which is the largest set of stamps ever issued in the history of Chinese stamps, and is hailed as a "family portrait of the motherland". At the exhibition site, the old stamp with a red stamp and small Chinese characters "Dang Yi Yuan" drew special attention from the exhibition representatives. On the top of the stamps are the words "the postal office of the Qing dynasty", the middle is lined with the words "Dang Yi Yuan" and the bottom reads "one dollar". It is an internationally renowned unique product, and is the top treasure of the China National Postage Stamp Museum. During the event, activities related to the Belt and Road Initiative, Jing-Chu culture, stamp collection and the 7th CISM Military World Games will be organized. The FIP General World Stamp Exhibition is an international cultural exchange activity managed and promoted globally by the International Philatelic Federation (FIP). Hailed as the "Olympic Games" in philatelic circles, the event aims to promote the exchanges, cooperation and development of international philatelic culture. The FIP currently has 97 member organizations. China joined the FIP in 1983, and hosted the world stamp exhibition in 1999 and 2009. Source: The Organizing Committee of The China 2019 FIP General World Stamp Exhibition Image Attachments Links: Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=338217 Caption: The China 2019 FIP General World Stamp Exhibition