Hongkong Post to issue “Intangible Cultural Heritage – Cheung Chau Jiao Festival” special stamps (with photos)

     Hongkong Post announced today (April 23) that a special stamp issue and associated philatelic products on the theme of "Intangible Cultural Heritage – Cheung Chau Jiao Festival" will be released for sale on May 9 (Thursday).
 
     Cheung Chau Jiao Festival was inscribed onto the third National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011, and the first Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong in 2017. Held from the fifth to ninth days of the fourth lunar month every year, the activity has been practised for more than a century. Jiao Festival is the time for Cheung Chau residents to express gratitude to Pak Tai for dispelling disasters and blessing the local community with peace. During the Jiao Festival, various folk crafts and folk performing arts of Cheung Chau, such as unicorn dance, gongs and drums and Piu Sik Parade, are showcased.
 
     Hongkong Post will issue a set of four stamps, two stamp sheetlets and associated philatelic products on the theme of "Intangible Cultural Heritage – Cheung Chau Jiao Festival" to promote this intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong, in the hope that this traditional festival and the folk crafts can pass down through generations.
 
     Official first day covers for "Intangible Cultural Heritage – Cheung Chau Jiao Festival" will be on sale at all post offices and on Hongkong Post's online shopping mall ShopThruPost (shopthrupost.hongkongpost.hk) from April 24 (Wednesday). This set of special stamps and associated philatelic products will be on sale at all post offices and on ShopThruPost from May 9, while serviced first day covers affixed with the special stamps will be available at philatelic offices only.
 
     A hand-back date-stamping service will be provided on May 9 at all post offices for official first day covers/souvenir covers/privately made covers bearing the first day of issue indication and a local address.
 
     Information about this set of special stamps and associated philatelic products is available on the Hongkong Post Stamps website (stamps.hongkongpost.hk) and in the ShopThruPost mobile app.