With the new year comes a new atmosphere, and in the Year of the loong in 2024, various museums, post offices, and other public cultural venues in Beijing are introducing a variety of "loong" stamps. Let's check in at these attractions together and take home these unique auspicious "loong" stamps.

Chinese Archaeological Museum

On the third floor of the Chinese Archaeological Museum, the Lantai Post Office offers more than 10 different stamps, including single-layer, multicolored, plain, colored, and golden rolling stamps for visitors to use and imprint.

These stamps draw inspiration from the museum's collection of cultural relics, presenting clear patterns of designs from different historical periods, such as loong-shaped jade ornaments.

Beijing Archaeological Site Museum (Jinzhongdu Shuiguan Site):

The museum's area, specifically the Jinzhongdu Shuiguan Site, introduces a series of loong-patterned stamps. There are six types, including a Western Han loong-pattern ivory chess piece, a Jin Dynasty bronze sitting loong, a Jin Dynasty relief loong-pattern Han white jade column, a Jin Dynasty loong-headed glass beast, a Jin Dynasty relief loong-pattern Han white jade corner column, and a Ming Dynasty relief loong-pattern Han white jade stone bridge component. Visitors need to bring their own stamp collection book, as the museum does not provide the required stamp book or paper.

Niu Jie Post Office

Niu Jie Post Office is a Zodiac culture-themed post office, featuring distinctive Ox-themed stamps, five stamps with images of five oxen, and twelve zodiac stamps, all provided free of charge for people to stamp.

Additionally, this year, a special "Loong Soaring Auspiciousness" postage machine promotional stamp has been released, with a usage period until April 9, 2024. Stamp collectors need to bring their own stamps to the post office to obtain the cultural day stamp, which is applied by staff using an ink stamp.

Jingyi Space · Liyuan Bookstore

Located on Huguosi Street, Jingyi Space · Liyuan Bookstore has introduced two Loong-themed New Year stamps. There are two styles of New Year's scroll stamps that can be stamped for free, with the words "Good Luck in the Year of the Loong" and "Prosperity in the Year of the Loong." There are also 30 paid stamps designed by professors from the Minzu University of China, featuring unique Beijing-themed designs such as the Nine-Loong Wall, loong-shaped jade pendants, and the Nine Sons of the Loong. These stamps have become a new business card for tourists to understand Beijing's culture.

Dongsi Hutong Museum

The Dongsi Hutong Museum specially introduces the "Loong Year Combination Stamps" - seal-style loong character stamps and golden loong-pattern stamps, including the character "Loong" from the Seal Script in the "Guangjinshi Yunfu," "Shuowen Guangyi," "Thousand-Character Classic," and Loong characters written by Zhao Mengfu.

Mengzang School Former Site

The cultural and creative store at the Mengzang School Former Site currently has three sets of 16 stamps in total. The lowest-priced product in the store is a $2 "New Youth" envelope, and as long as you make a purchase, you can stamp the new seal.

Compared to the eight regular "New Youth Series" stamps, the loong year limited edition stamps are larger in size, more delicately designed, with one being horizontal, vividly forming the Arabic numeral "2024" with four loong patterns, and the top bearing the inscription "The Chinese nation is a big family," reflecting the efforts made by the Mengzang School Former Site in promoting unity among ethnic groups and building dreams together. The other two stamps are vertical, combining elements of the Spring Festival, the spirit of the loong horse, and a thumbnail image of the Mengzang School Former Site.

Translator: ZHANG Bo 

Reviewer: TANG Yuxin