Zodiac stamps for the Year of the Dragon. [Photo/Baotou news network]

"I arrived at the queue before 6 am, just to be in the front and buy the zodiac stamps for the Year of the Dragon," said a resident surnamed Jia, who has joined the queue at the stamp specialty store in Hondlon district, Baotou, on Jan 5.

On that day, stamps for the Year of the Dragon were released. Many residents rushed to various stamp sales outlets in Baotou to purchase the Dragon zodiac stamps, which will be either collected or used to express their good wishes for the Year of the Dragon.

Compared to previous years, enthusiasts for zodiac stamps showed even greater enthusiasm for the Year of the Dragon stamps, eagerly awaiting the release of this stamp set. "I have been collecting stamps for over 50 years, and I come every year to queue up for the zodiac stamps. It's also the best annual opportunity for philatelists to exchange ideas," said Wu Jianzhong, a local resident.

It is understood that the two special stamp sets for the "Year of the Dragon" have a face value of 2.4 yuan ($0.33). This stamp set is available for sale at designated postal outlets nationwide, on China Post's mobile app, and on other online channels, with a planned issuance quantity of 29.98 million sets nationwide.

Resident Ms Cui came to purchase multiple stamps to give to her children. She mentioned that children can collect these colorful and beautifully illustrated stamps or use them as meaningful New Year gifts for classmates and friends.