China stamps its authority on competition

Situated at the northern end of Beijing's Central Axis, the Drum and Bell Towers stand as enduring symbols of traditional life in ancient China, when the rhythms of daily life were marked by the sounds of drums and bells. Their majestic architecture conveys a sense of serenity, a quality that has been captured in miniature through the design of a postage stamp, which has won acclaim from the jury members of the World's Best Stamp.

The Bell and Drum Towers stamp, part of a five-stamp set titled World Cultural Heritage – Beijing Central Axis, issued last July by China Post, was awarded the World's Best Stamp of 2025. The competition is organized by the Philatelic Federation of South Africa under the patronage of the Universal Postal Union and the World Authority for the Development of Philately.

The awards are judged across five categories, with the overall best stamp selected from the winners of each group. The Bell and Drum Towers took first place in the Best Mixed Printing Stamp category.

Other Chinese winners were Beauty of Mathematics:Mobius Strip, from China Post's four-stamp set, which won the Most Innovative Stamp Format, and Rare Animals in China, which depicts a black-faced spoonbill and was issued by the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau, which won the Best Intaglio Stamp category.