Happy Year of the Tiger! 祝您虎年快乐!

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We wish everyone a terrific lunar new year and hope we see everyone flourish in the year of the tiger.

As we’ve done since 2009, we’ve gathered together lunar new stamps from around the world. This year and always, tigers really need fans. Three of the eight subspecies of tigers are already extinct. Perhaps just 3,900 tigers continue to roam in the wild. They’ve lost 96% of the range they had a century ago.

In addition to welcoming the new year, athletes have been gathering in China for the 2022 Winter Olympics. With pandemic travel restrictions, the inability of even ordinary Chinese spectators to attend, and needing to rely on artificial snow for the skiing events, both hosts and participants are confronting significant challenges. Below are stamps that China and Slovakia have issued to mark the games.

The People’s Republic of China rejoined the Olympics by sending 28 athletes to compete in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. None managed to win medals, though two figure skaters ranked higher in their events than did their compatriots. Athletes from Taiwan were turned away from those games because they refused to adopt the ”Chinese Taipei” framework for participation. Four Taiwanese athletes will compete at the 2022 games. We've included American and Chinese stamps issued to celebrate the 1980 games.
 
Later in 1980, China joined the United States and sixty other countries in boycotting the Moscow Olympics. That boycott was driven by the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979. Some have called for a boycott of the Beijing Games. No teams have withdrawn but a number of countries are not sending top officials to the games. The Biden administration initiated its “diplomatic boycott” to oppose what it calls China’s human rights abuses. China has condemned the U.S. for politicizing the games. The games open on February 4.

Wherever you are and whomever you are with, we wish you a wonderful Lunar New Year. Please let us know which of the stamps are your favorites and please do share them with family and friends.

The USC U.S.-China Institute

Slovakia, uniquely, combined year of the tiger stamps with a celebration of the Beijing Olympics. The artist is Marián Komáček.

Continuing with the Olympics theme, we have stamps issued by the U.S. and China for the 1980 Games hosted by Lake Placid in New York. American fans remember it as offering the "Miracle on Ice," a Cold War triumph in ice hockey against the Soviet team, winner of five of the past six gold medals.

1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, New York
United States

China

2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing and Zhangjiakou
China

Now we present lunar new year stamps, beginning with Chinese speaking regions and the U.S. and then to the rest of the world.

Lunar New Year, 2022 Year of the Tiger

China, artist Feng Dazhong 冯大中

Hong Kong

1998

Macau, artist Yu Si

Taiwan, artist Lin Junliang 林俊良

United States, artist Camille Chew

Armenia, artist Rem Saakyan

Australia, artist Chrissy Lau

Belarus, artist Victor Chaichuk

Bulgaria, artist P. Markova

Cambodia, 1998

Canada, L 1998 Raymond Mah, R 2010 Wilson Lam

 

France, artist Chen Jianghong 陈江洪

Guernsey, Chrissy Lau

Hungary, artist Agnes Szajko-Berta

 

Isle of Man, artist Ana Jacks

Japan, from Kyosen Kawasaki 川崎巨泉 works (1877-1942)

Jersey, artist Wang Huming

Korea, North 2010

Korea, South, artist Mihwa Kim 김미화

Kyrgyzstan, artist Diana Roşcovan

Liechtenstein, artist Stefan Erne

Mongolia

Netherlands

New Zealand, artist Ying-min Chu

Singapore, artist Lim An-ling

St. Maarten

Thailand, artist Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

United Nations, artist Pan Hu 潘虎 ("Tiger Pan")

Vietnam, artist Nguyen Quang Vinh

 

Want more lunar new year stamps?
2021: Year of the Ox
2020: Year of the Rat
2019: Year of the Pig
2018: Year of the Dog
2017: Year of the Rooster
2016: Year of the Monkey
2015: Year of the Ram/Goat/Sheep
2014: Year of the Horse
2013: Year of the Snake
2012: Year of the Dragon
2011: Year of the Rabbit
2010: Year of the Tiger
2009: Year of the Ox