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Part
23, Issue # 82 - September 12, 2002
One is always aspiring to do better and better but one must look up to an ideal role model to reach unprecedented heights. Today India and China are compared on many fronts beginning from billion plus population to development. India is ahead in some areas and behind in others.
In philately China is leaps and bounds ahead of India and that is what we would aspire to be like.
Here are some of the highlights of the Chinese philately:
1. The first stamp club in China was founded in August 1922 in Shanghai. It was known as "Philatelic Society of China, Shanghai".
2. All China Philatelic Federation (ACPF), the national body was formed in January 1982. This year sees ACPF go through the 20th Birthday.
3. Philatelic Clubs are formed in 31 provinces, Autonomous Region, Municipality. The following industries also formed their own philatelic clubs: Sports, People's Liberation Army - Second Artillery, Petroleum, Outer Space Industry, Coal & mine, Seamen, Water Resources and Aviation.
4. Total membership in all the philatelic clubs: 3.3 million members.
5. Stamp lovers: 14 million.
6. Philatelic publications - Philately monthly magazine: 400,000 copies per issue in circulation, the largest philatelic publication in the world. China Philately Bi-weekly Newspaper: 200,000 copies per issue. Over 1,000 different kinds of philatelic books were published from 1982 - 2002.
7. Exhibitions - 10 major national stamp exhibitions were held since 1983 (including a Senior Citizen Mega Stamp Exhibition this year). The 9th Asian International Stamp Exhibition was held in Beijing in 1996, under the patronage of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP).
8. ACPF members' participation at World and FIAP Stamp exhibitions: more than 50 times bagged 1477 Vermeil medals, 80 Large Vermeil medals, 30 Gold medals, 9 Large Gold medals, 1 Grand Prix National (at CHINA 1999), 1 Grand Prix
D' Honneur (at HONG KONG 2001).
China has successfully spread philately in the last 20 years to the grass roots hence they have been able to have such large number of collectors. This is what we need to do in India to be able to once again popularize this hobby. In fact India Post has made a step in the right direction by proposing and conducting District Level exhibitions and we would like to offer our complete support to this endeavor.
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