World's first ceramic stamps unveiled in east China

The limited edition stamps, which are made in 11 versions based on "world expo" themes, were released as a promotion for the 2010 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Fair that wrapped up Oct. 22. Jingezhen, located in eastern China, claims to having been producing pottery for 1,700 years.

The China National Philatelic Corporation says it limited production to 10,000 sets of the stamps. The patterns are based on 11 World Expo-themed stamps released by China since 2007. Different from paper stamps, these stamps, it is claimed, will not fade, corrode or catch fire.

Each stamp is about 0.3 millimeter in thickness. All the ceramic stamps are hand-made.

People's Daily Online says the stamp makers use "a combination of patented ceramic technology, traditional craftsmanship and modern techniques."

"Each of these ceramic stamps is unique in the world. It overcomes the limitation of paper stamps and shows the world the creativity of Jingdezhen as the ceramic capital of China in modern times," said Liu Jingbo, director of the Jingdezhen Municipal Philatelic Corporation.