Bingshen Year special stamps from China Post on Jan 5. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/Asianewsphoto]

The city of Nanyang, Henan province held a ceremony to announce a set of Bingshen Year special stamps from China Post, on Jan 5, to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Monkey that falls on Feb 8 this year.

One depicts a monkey on a swing with a longevity peach in its hand while the other shows an adult monkey with babies to its left and right, to symbolize happiness, longevity and family.

The new stamps show signs of the Chinese zodiac, with a 1.2 yuan ($0.18) value.

Nanyang's deputy mayor, Zhang Mingti, used the ceremony to speak about the city’s monkey culture and thanked China Post for its support for its cultural development. Zhang also asked guests to give their ideas on using the city’s culture for stamps to promote its cultural image.