People perform to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival at a chain store of Jack's of Fiji in Suva, Fiji, Feb. 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)

The China Cultural Center in Fiji and Post Fiji jointly launched the Year of the Tiger stamps on Tuesday in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

The stamps, designed by a team from Luxseven Art Museum in Qingdao, China, depict four tigers, namely the Fiji bula tiger (bula being the Fijian phrase of hello/welcome), Fiji rugby tiger, Fiji postal tiger and Fiji tourism tiger.

The Fijian tiger designed on the cover envelope wears a Fijian Bula shirt and holds a Fijian kava bowl in both hands (kava being the traditional national drink of Fiji). The design elements highlight the natural scenery of Fiji: the sea, traditional Fijian sailboats, and coconut trees.

Speaking at the launching ceremony in the China Cultural Center in Fiji, Wang Xuguang, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji, said that in Chinese culture, tigers symbolize bravery, strength, courage and ambition.

He said that combined with Fiji's unique scenery, plants, traditional costumes and intangible cultural heritage, the tigers will bring people peace, unity and resilience. 

The cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Fiji has been flourishing in recent years, deepening the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, he said, adding that with the joint efforts of both sides, they can expect more fruitful cultural exchanges that will bring the two peoples even closer in the years to come.

For her part, Han Xiaoyan, director of the China Cultural Center in Fiji, said that the Year of the Tiger stamps are the seventh Zodiac stamp series to be issued by the China Cultural Center in Fiji together with Post Fiji.

Meanwhile, Anirudha Bansod, CEO of Post Fiji, said as longstanding business partners over the past years, Post Fiji and the China Cultural Center in Fiji have worked together to issue the Chinese Zodiac stamps since 2016, which is a true testimony of friendship between the two countries.

Xinhua