A reception was held Friday to celebrate Canada Post's issuing a set of Year of the Tiger stamps to mark the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year.

The stamps include an international rate stamp, available only on the Year of the Tiger souvenir sheet, and feature a fierce tiger running down a mountain. A domestic rate stamp shows the imprint of a seal, sculpted from the international rate stamp, portraying a tiger in a traditionally stylized manner.

"These striking stamps are the second issue in our Lunar New Year series, which started in 2009, and are a cross-cultural celebration of the tiger figure in Chinese tradition," Jim Phillips, director of Canada Post's Stamp Services, said in a statement.

The tiger featured on the souvenir sheet illustrates the powerful status of the animal in Chinese culture. Gold foil was applied to the seal's imprint because gold is the highest-valued metal in China.

The long scroll-like shape of the souvenir sheet is also rooted in Chinese tradition, while the speckles of gold foil that are scattered throughout the uncut press sheet convey the impression that gold flakes have been splashed across the surface.

"My design is based on traditional Chinese painting," said Wilson Lam, an ethnic Chinese stamp designer. He noted that Chinese artists often write vignette-like calligraphy on their paintings, then apply their seal. He added that he did the same thing in his design.

Lam was born in Macao and immigrated to Canada in 1983.

The reception, jointly sponsored by the Chinese Cultural Center of Greater Vancouver and S.U.C.C.E.S.S., one of the largest social service providers in British Columbia, was attended by more than 100 stamp collectors and local celebrities.