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Following is the speech by the Postmaster General, Mr Luk Ping-chuen, at the "Traditional Trades and Handicrafts" Special Stamps Issuing Ceremony today (March 13):

Mr Ip, distinguished guests and friends from the media,

Welcome to the issuing ceremony of the "Traditional Trades and Handicrafts" Special Stamps. I would like to extend our special thanks to Mr Ip for officiating at today's ceremony.

This set of stamps takes us on a trip down memory lane by capturing snapshots of six once prevalent trades and handicrafts like letter writing, bird cage making, qipao tailoring, hairdressing, dough figurine making and olive selling.

The 60s saw an influx of refugees from Mainland China. It was a time when jobs were few and many people had to rely on their craftsmanship to make a living for the whole family. As Hong Kong developed into a teeming metropolis with a highly educated populace, the hectic pace of city life has rendered these crafts obsolete, for they call for close attention to the most meticulous detail at the expense of time. Although these trades and handicrafts may have seen their heyday and receded to our collective memory of a past era, their legacy lives on. In fact, we owe today's success to the hard work of yesterday's unsung heroes from whom we still have much to learn. Hongkong Post is a modern incarnation of perhaps one of the most ancient trades, and we fully understand that it takes adaptation and swift responses to carry forth the glory and pride of our progenitors.

To tap into the undercurrent of the nostalgic theme, six individual stamps depicting different kinds of traditional trades and handicrafts are artfully meshed into a souvenir sheet that offers a vivid depiction of the 60s' street scenery. Harking back to the fun memories of the good old days, this set of stamps will strike a reminiscent chord in you whether you belong to the 60s generation or not.

Thank you.

End/Thursday, March 13, 2003

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