7 million sets of stamps to commemorate the cradle of prehistoric Chinese migration for grab! The issuance ceremony for the commemorative stamp was held at the InternationalResearch Institute of Austronesianin Pingtan, the closest place of the Chinese mainland to the island of Taiwan. Released by the State Post Bureau, the collectible comes in a set of five, featuring Pingtan's Kequitou relics.  

A girl pictured making a pre-purchase enquiry[Photo by Jiang Xinheng]

"Generally, events and articles of national significance can be used as patterns for postage stamps." Li Li, deputy general manager of the Pingtan branch of China Post Group, said that the commemorative stamps were meant to raise public awareness for Keqiutou relics and endorse Pingtan's status as an international tourism island.

Scientific innovations and achievements such as Chang’e 5 lunar probe, deep-sea manned submersible, the revelation about locust plague, and nuclear reactor “Hualong One” were among some significant accounts that have inspired China Post’s latest release. 

The stamp design originates from the International Research Center for Austronesian Archaeology [Photo by Chen Lanqing]

According to the introduction, paleogenomic data studies conducted for the first time provided solid proof, tracing the roots of the Austronesian family to an ancient civilization dating back to 8,400 years ago in southern China. A revelation suggesting southern Chinese as the ancestors of the Austronesian. It was also backed up by genetic evidence tracing a connection between the Austronesian people and their Southeast Asian cousins. Relevant research has opened up a new prospect for the study of ancient DNA in East Asian populations, and hasgreat academic value and social significance for the exploration of theorigin of the Chinese nation. Its scientific achievements and experimental innovation have immensely promoted the development of anthropology, evolutionary genetics and other related fields worldwide.

In recent years, the archaeology work in Pingtan’s Keqiutou has attracted the attention of the world. International Research Center for Austronesian Archaeology was established based on the relic site, which uses the Austronesian culture to further explore the connection and bond between thetwo sides of the Taiwan Straits.

Not long ago, the National Cultural HeritageAdministration included Pingtan’s Keqiutou in the list for protection and utilization during the 14^thFive-Year Plan period, focusing on the research on the origin and spread of the Austronesian.  

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