Aland's connection with the Chinese zodiac began in late 2014, when its first zodiac-themed stamp for the Year of the Goat received an enthusiastic response.

by Zhu Haochen, Elina Xu

HELSINKI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- For more than a decade, Aland Post in Finland's autonomous Aland Islands has issued stamp series themed on the Chinese zodiac, with the newly released Year of the Horse edition marking the conclusion of the collection.

"In both the Nordic region and China, the horse symbolizes strength, loyalty and courage," Johanna Finne, head of communications and stamps at Aland Post, told Xinhua. "With this set, we celebrate the Chinese New Year in the Year of the Horse and wish everyone a year filled with hope and a positive, enterprising spirit."

The Year of the Horse miniature sheet portrays a pastoral scene characteristic of Aland, featuring lush meadows dotted with wildflowers and horses grazing, pulling a carriage or standing close to people. In the background, a red-walled house with bluish-green roof tiles is nestled among trees.

Subtle Chinese cultural elements are woven into the design. One rider's shirt bears the Chinese characters "fei ma" (meaning flying horse), while the phrase "majiu xingfu" (meaning stable happiness) appears under the eaves of a house. In the lower left corner, the calligraphy-style words "ma nian" (meaning Year of the Horse) are accompanied by a bright red seal depicting a galloping horse.

Comprising more than 6,000 islands and skerries, Aland has a population of about 30,000. Its capital, Mariehamn, lies nearly 7,000 km away from China's capital, Beijing. Though geographically distant from China, the annual zodiac stamp series has offered local residents a refined window into Chinese culture.

At a post office in central Mariehamn, the new stamps were prominently displayed at the entrance. A staff member said the zodiac stamps are highly popular, and the Chinese cultural elements featured in the designs are widely appreciated.

Aland's connection with the Chinese zodiac began in late 2014, when its first zodiac-themed stamp for the Year of the Goat received an enthusiastic response. Over the following decade, the series grew into a signature project for Aland Post, fostering cultural dialogue through these small-format works.

"Every year, new buyers from different parts of the world join in, and people are very enthusiastic about this series," Finne said. She recalled being particularly impressed by Chinese collectors who sent postcards to Aland specifically to have them affixed with the zodiac stamp and canceled with a first-day postmark before forwarding Lunar New Year greetings to friends.

Most of the zodiac stamps were designed by Swedish-born Norwegian artist Martin Morck, who has longstanding ties with China. As early as 1994, he was invited to design stamps for China Post. Over the past three decades, he has frequently traveled to China to study traditional arts, research folk culture, and teach courses.

Entrusted with designing the zodiac series, Morck said his guiding principle was to approach China's zodiac and Spring Festival traditions with respect and positivity, while expressing them in his own artistic language to build a bridge between Nordic and Chinese cultures.

In his view, the Chinese New Year reflects strong family bonds, with people returning home from all directions to celebrate together and welcome the spring. "It is a very beautiful tradition. Chinese people take their traditions seriously," he said.

Morck applied the same dedication to his designs. Combining Chinese cultural symbolism with Aland's landscapes and heritage, the zodiac series developed a distinctive style: the zodiac animal as the focal point, set against Aland's natural and cultural scenery, rendered in vivid colors and layered compositions, with carefully integrated Chinese elements such as characters, calligraphy and seals.

In the Year of the Horse stamp, Morck incorporated into his design a seal modeled on the "Copper Running Horse," a cultural relic from northwest China's Gansu Province. The seal was one he carved in 1975 when he first learned seal engraving. By including it in the concluding issue of the zodiac series, he commemorated his long-standing bond with China, he said.

With the release of the concluding stamp, Aland Post has compiled the full set of 12 zodiac stamps into a complete collection for worldwide distribution. Finne described the decade-long project as "an extraordinary journey connecting different cultures."

"Stamps are small, but they carry meaning. Through them, we have come to understand China better, and Chinese collectors have begun to learn about Aland," she said, expressing hope that the series would add new vitality to the global appreciation of zodiac culture and the Chinese New Year tradition.

Although the series has come to an end, Finne said the bond with Chinese culture continues, with expectations for further creative exchanges and cooperation in the future.

Morck spoke warmly of China's magnificent landscapes, long history, refined art and friendly people. "Going to China always feels like going home," he said, adding that he hopes one day to spend the Chinese New Year in China, sitting on a heated brick bed, making dumplings, enjoying hot pot and celebrating with local families.