Chen Qian/Shanghai Daily news

The Year of the Dog stamps were designed by Lu Shengzhong, a folk art scholar.
The dog pictured on the stamp is wearing a folk costume and a short sleeveless garment over it. The dog’s tail looks like a longevity peach while its two front paws hold a satin ball. It is a guard dog who helps watch over the property.

More than 100 enthusiastic people lined up in the cold yesterday morning at Shanghai Postal Museum for newly issued stamps to commemorate the Year of the Dog.
The museum is one of 99 postal outlets offering the stamps.
A complete set of dog stamps cost 22.4 yuan (US$2.8). Each stamp has a face value of 0.8 yuan.
"I came here at 8:15pm on Wednesday," said Yan Xueping, the first to purchase a set.
Yan lives in Pudong New Area. She was also the first last year to purchase a set of stamps for the Year of the Rooster.
"I buy zodiac stamps every year," Yan said, showing the latest addition to her collection. "At first it was just for fun but it gradually became a hobby."
The first zodiac stamp issued in the country was in 1980, the Year of the Monkey. Zodiac stamps soon became a hot item among collectors.
Ma Lianhong, an official from Shanghai Lugong Stamp Market, one of the biggest stamp markets in the country, said collectors don't want to miss out on the next possible highly sought after issue.
Ma also said many collectors want all 12 animals of the zodiac.
Starting last year, the Shanghai Post Bureau invited stamp lovers to wait inside its office building rather than on the street. Officials now also provide hot tea and snacks at night.
"The forward price for dog stamps at our market reached as high as 80 yuan on Wednesday," Ma said. "But no one will buy it at such a high price. It's a price fluctuation that won't last long."
Ma said the best season for stamps has already passed.
Before 1997, hundreds of stamp lovers crowded outside post offices each year for zodiac stamps.