2014 Hong Kong Definitive New Values

Hongkong Post is issuing three new definitive stamps in denominations of $2.60, $3.40 and $4.90 on 1 January 2018. The designs of the new stamps are identical to those of the definitive stamps issued in 2014, based on the distinctive landforms and landscapes of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark.

The Hong Kong Geopark was officially designated a National Geopark of China in 2009, and became a member of the Global Geoparks Network in 2011. With the formalisation of the new label “UNESCO Global Geopark”, Hong Kong Global Geopark of China was renamed Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark in November 2015. Located in the eastern part of Hong Kong and extending from the Northeast New Territories to the Sai Kung area, the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark is a single entity that comprises two regions, namely, Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region and Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region, each with its unique geological features.

$2.60 – Ma Shi Chau

Ma Shi Chau sits in the Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region. In view of its geological and ecological features which are of substantial conservation and educational value, Ma Shi Chau, together with its neighbours, namely, Centre Island, Yeung Chau and an unnamed islet, was declared “Ma Shi Chau Special Area” in April 1999. The ancient sedimentary rocks on Ma Shi Chau, formed between 290 million and 250 million years ago, comprise the second oldest rock formation in Hong Kong. The colourful rocks and the rich variety of geological compositions on Ma Shi Chau make it a famous site for geological study in the territory.

$3.40 – Yan Chau

Located in Double Haven (Yan Chau Tong) in the Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region, Yan Chau is one of the renowned “six treasures of Double Haven”—six natural landforms with metaphorical names. The island is shaped like a Chinese imperial jade seal, coming complete with rocks above sea level resembling decorative carvings and a natural platform close to the sea resembling the base of a seal. What Yan Chau shows us is actually a landform termed a “supratidal platform”, a coastal erosion landscape rarely found in Hong Kong.

$4.90 – Fa Shan

Situated to the east of High Island in the Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region, the coast of Fa Shan is the core area of hexagonal rock columns. Prolonged erosion of the long coastline by sea waves has led to the formation of upright sea cliffs, exposing densely packed, sky‑high rock columns which can reach as much as 100 metres in height. Apart from spectacular clusters of rock columns, there is also a diverse range of coastal erosion landforms such as sea caves. All these contribute to one of the most iconic landscapes in the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark