The Awarded Stamp Issue “Legends and Myths X – The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid”

The stamp issue "Legends and Myths X – The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid" issued by Macao Post on 23rd August, 2012, with the unique design of the souvenir sheet, ranked the 9th place of the "Grand Prix de I' Exposition WIPA" for the "Most Beautiful Stamp" award for year 2012, at Vienna International Philatelic Exhibition on 21st October, 2013. After the great honor of awarded the 8th place of the "Most Beautiful Stamp" for the souvenir sheet of "Seng Yu – Idioms III" issued in the year 2009, this is another outstanding work to be awarded in Vienna International Philatelic Exhibition. Macao stamps with outstanding designs and themes have once again been given an affirmation and proven its international status. "Legends and Myths X – The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid" is designed by a Macao famous artist Mr. Lio Man Cheong, and the souvenir sheet depicts the idiom "Meeting on the Magpie Bridge". The Weaving Maid can meet the Cowherd during the Qixi Festival, luckily, a group of magpies with black feathers, bald heads and long tails comes along and form a "bridge" in the Milky Way, allowing the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid to meet each other. The moving story of "Meeting on the Magpie Bridge" is widespread in Chinese folklore. Since Mr. Lio Man Cheong has been awarded the great honor in "Gods of Chinese Mythology" and "Temples of Macao" in Macao Post's stamp design competitions in 1991, he has already designed more than 30 Macao stamp issues, which are always of high appreciation throughout the years.