After one last bark from the Year of the Dog, the Year of the Pig trots into the limelight on February 5, 2019, and squeals to a stop on January 24, 2020. Two stamps – the 11^th issue in our 12-year series – celebrate this porcine sign, which also ruled the Chinese zodiac in 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971 and 1959. Those born under it are said to be frank, forthright and trusting.

Albert Ng and Seung Jai Paek, of Albert Ng and Associates, based their designs for the stamps on the story of Zhu Bajie, a colourful character from the 16^th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. A once powerful figure in Heaven, Pigsy – as he became known – was banished for misbehaviour to life on Earth as a human-pig hybrid. The Permanent^TM domestic-rate stamp features a proud Pigsy clad in heavenly armour, clutching an enormous nine-toothed muck rake. The international stamp shows him lounging in more modest attire.

As with past years, the pane of 25 stamps and the uncut press sheet are adorned with auspicious messages offering blessings for the New Year. When asked about their significance, Ng said he followed one principal in choosing them: to be meaningful. “Another challenge,” he added, “was to select sayings that were acceptable to both Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking audiences.”