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There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes. The same can be said about the dragon, a mythical creature in Chinese and Western culture. It can be demonstrated no better than in the variety of dragon stamps issued by nearly 20 countries and regions to celebrate the Chinese New Year. For example, Japan features four cute dragon toys on its stamps. It also features the Chinese character "dragon" in 10 different calligraphic styles by 10 famous calligraphers. South Korea's dragon stamps depict a cartoon dragon embedded in snowflakes. The United States, the first country to issue a dragon stamp in 2012, features a vibrant dragonhead in a traditional dragon dance. Combined with the style of Chinese paper-cutting, it is a celebration of Chinese folk culture. The stamp issued by France features the traditional royal golden dragon and Chinese characters. All of these were in stark contrast with the image presented by China Post. It looks ferocious with its fierce stare and wide-open mouth, which prompted a heated online debate. "It is roaring and intimidating," a blog post read. But experts said it was actually a design that was close to China's first stamp, issued in 1878, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Chen Shaohua, the designer of the new stamp, defended his work, saying the dragon should not be too gentle, otherwise it does not match the dragon in traditional culture that was used to exorcise evil spirits, avoid disasters and bless people. | 
