Chasing the Dragon...and the Monkey and the Rooster(2)

The selection committee this year had requested a younger, more modern dragon, he said on his blog, but Chen justified his design saying his dragon image was inspired by the patterns on the imperial Qing robes and Nine Dragon Wall. He said it symbolized China's growing confidence and importance on the world stage.

Chen probably learned from past experience. In 2010, his stamp design for the Year of the Tiger featured an affable-looking mother tiger sitting with her cub. The design lost to a rival entry that showed a youthful and energetic tiger, standing hands on hips.

The Year of the Tiger in 2010 featured an updated tiger with hands on hips, while the more traditional dragon ruled on a postage stamp issued in France.

However, collectors are unfazed by the chatter online. The negative comments have had no effect on sales. All over China, people lined up in the chill of winter to snap up the dragon stamps. When the stamps sold out at the post offices and official sources, the private market starting getting active and price hikes sent the value of the stamps soaring like, well, dragons.

By early January, a set of 20 dragon stamps was selling for as much as 350 yuan (US$55) at Beijing's Madian Memorabilia Market, the biggest stamp market in Asia, compared with the original price of 24 yuan from the post office. Experts say many collectors are already prepared to pay more.