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THE HONG KONG postal service issued its first postage stamp in 1862. Back then, figureheads were in fashion and  the stamp bore a portrait of Queen Victoria engraved by Jean Ferdinand Joubert and printed in Britain.

In the intervening 143 years, however, much about Hong Kong's postal service has changed, especially in the decade since it became an independently run trading fund.

In the days when Hongkong Post was still managed by the government, stamps were viewed very much for their functional value and designs were conservative. Stamps were issued with little or no public involvement.

It is only in the past decade that people have begun to voice their opinions and suggestions on stamp designs and themes. And, with its new-found focus on the market, Hongkong Post has been listening to its customers.

'We conduct research annually and invite suggestions on stamp themes from the public and government departments

such as the tourism commission as well as universities,' said Amy Ng, general manager of stamps and philately.

'We have about 55,000 account holders in Hong Kong and they often suggest stamp themes.'

After this consultation, we submit a recommendation list to the stamp advisory committee, which selects not more than 10 stamp themes a year from the list.

'We will then start our research and invite local stamp designers to submit their designs. We have to maintain the attractiveness of the stamps and tend not to issue too many a year.'

Ms Ng said Hongkong Post had limited funds to maintain 'regular communication'  with customers but had been able to keep abreast with the consumer market since becoming a trading fund.

'As a trading fund, we are accountable for finance. That's why we are committed to achieving consistently the highest levels of customer satisfaction and being a viable business with sufficient resources to invest in our future,' Ms Ng said.

The process of creating new stamps takes about two years from start to finish, which meant Hongkong Post was working well in advance on stamps for 2007.

With thematic stamps dominating the marketplace, this year's 'A-Z' series with all the letters of the alphabet has been a great success since its release in January.

'The idea was to allow collectors to use the stamps not only for conventional purposes but also to create special messages or greetings, such as 'I miss you' or 'Thank you'.

'These stamps have been well-received by philatelists, and many are tailoring their stamps to create their own special messages,' Ms Ng said.

Commemorative stamps are also popular among philatelists in Hong Kong, as seen when Hongkong Post, China Post and Macau Post jointly issued a stamp booklet, costing $12.80, to mark the successful flight of China's first manned spacecraft in 2003.

'We see commemorative stamps as a very effective tool to celebrate occasions. It reflects the common happiness of the people in a particular place,' Ms Ng said.

'We do a lot to attract youngsters to start their collections. That is why, from the very beginning, we focused on the selection of themes.'

Hongkong Post is now working on the release of new stamps to mark groundbreaking events. These include the second set of Disneyland stamps, to be issued next month.

The first set was issued at the beginning of 2003, and was  embossed with Mickey Mouse and the four theme lands that make up the park.

The follow-up set is to be released on the park's opening day next month.

In 2000, Hong Kong made news when it issued a series of triangular-shaped stamps,  to mark the opening of four new cultural venues. Another innovation was the use of a special fine-screen printing technique for its insect series of stamps.

'The special printing technique allowed us to show minute parts of insects not visible to the naked eye. Our big challenge is to enhance the beauty of the stamp designs,' Ms Ng said.

Ten sets of stamps are issued every year, covering a variety of themes, but the Lunar New Year collection remains the firm favourite among philatelists.

'The Lunar New Year special stamp issues are a celebration of a festival that is very meaningful to people in Hong Kong and mainland China. Because of the stamps' beauty and uniqueness, enthusiasts around the world eagerly anticipate the release of these stamps,' Ms Ng said.  Memorable releases include the dragon and snake stamps of 2000.

The dragon stamp was embossed in 24-carat gold and 99 per cent pure silver, and the snake stamp in 22-carat gold and 99 per cent pure silver.

While Hongkong Post maintains a close working relationship with China and Macau's postal administrations, the organisation is also  stamping its mark elsewhere in the region.

'We organise joint stamp issues with other postal administrations, the first being with Singapore,'

Ms Ng said.

'Hong Kong and Singapore issued a set of stamps on the topic of tourism, depicting three scenes each of Hong Kong and Singapore.

'The objective was to share a common theme and, through reciprocal arrangements, we were able to enlighten philatelists about various places in the world and expand our reach beyond Hong Kong. Since this joint venture, we have co-operated with many  other countries,' Ms Ng said.

The tie-ups include Australia on the dragon boat race in 2001, Canada on corals in 2002, Sweden on waterbirds, designed by prolific stamp engraver Czeslaw Slania in 2003, New Zealand on rugby last year and, most recently, a collaboration with Portugal on fishing villages.

'We would like to promote our famous Tai O fishing village, which is a rare example of a Chinese stilt-house community. The stamp launch is due in November,' Ms Ng said.

Hongkong Post is always looking for new ways to maintain interest and attract more young philatelists.

'Our market consists of young philatelists starting from age eight up to 20,' Ms Ng said.

It launched its 'Dress Bear Up' competition earlier this year, which encouraged children to demonstrate their talent in design. About 40,000 entries were received, clearly showing that Hongkong Post is on the right path.



Public puts its stamp on local collections