China issues 10 million stamp sets to commemorate first manned space flight

BEIJING (AFP) Oct 16, 2003
China has decided to issue 10.2 million sets of stamps to commemorate the country's success in putting a man into space, state media said Thursday.

The stamps will show heroic motifs such as "astronaut at work" and "triumphant return," Xinhua news agency reported, citing the state postal administration.

Shenzhou V, carrying astronaut Yang Liwei, returned to earth early Thursday after 14 orbits around the planet, making China the third nation in the world after the United States and Russia to master manned space flight.

Despite widespread official pride in the feat, the number of stamps issued is dwarfed by the 28 million commemorative stamp sets put out when Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Olympics.

SPACE.WIRE