Stamps for the Year of the Dog to be issued in January

Commemorative stamps for the upcoming Year of the Dog. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A set of commemorative stamps will be issued in January to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dog.

A ceremony for the start of the printing work of the set was held on Wednesday in Beijing at the Postage Stamp Printing Bureau of China.

The event was attended by renowned artist Zhou Lingzhao, who designed the set, and officials from the bureau.

As an important activity of this year's Philatelic Week, which started on July 30, the event was live broadcast online for stamp collectors nationwide.

Several series of zodiac animal stamps have been issued in the past few decades and have been one of the favorite items among collectors.

Zhou enjoys the name of "the designer of national images" thanks to his involvement in the designing work of many important items, such as the national emblem, the Liberation Medal and several series of Chinese currencies.

Zhou designed the stamp for the Year of the Dog when the first of such series was issued about 40 years ago.

Now at 98, he said at the ceremony that it's a rare chance for him to get involved in the designing for the zodiac dog stamp again.