China’s First Digital Stamp Now Onchain

• Hong Kong-based DGS made history by issuing the first-ever digital stamp in China on Polygon in partnership with the China Post.
• The move combines the on-chain digital capabilities of the Polygon blockchain with traditional cultural innovation while showcasing China’s dynamism in the world of Web3.

DGS, a member of the Hong Kong startup community Cyberport, has made history by launching the first-ever digital stamps in China on the Polygon blockchain.

DGS partnered with China Post Hong Kong Limited on the initiative, which seeks to digitize a crucial part of China’s rich history. Other partners included the University of Hong Kong’s Financial Innovation and Development Research Center and the Beijing Longyuan Traditional Culture Exchange Promotion Center.

Cyberport community member DGS partners with China Post Hong Kong to issue digital stamps namely as “Year of Jia Chen” on @0xPolygon public chain, successfully combining the digital economy with traditional cultural innovation. pic.twitter.com/RkiPz6d5KB

— Cyberport (@cyberport_hk) January 19, 2024

Local outlets report that the stamps were inspired by China Post’s “Year of Jia Chen” special postage stamps. Each physical stamp in the collections comes with a digital twin with a unique identification number on the Polygon blockchain. The first batch released 10,000 stamps.

“The issuance of this stamp collection promotes Chinese traditional culture in innovative forms,” commented Chen Dacan, the chair of the China Post Hong Kong Co.

Stamps represent a people’s culture, and in China, this special collection has a special meaning, says Di Na, the executive director of the Beijing Longyuan Traditional Culture Exchange Promotion Center. As per the Chinese Zodiac, 2024 is the year of the dragon (there are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac).

“The Chinese dragon symbolizes courage, power, wisdom and dignity. It represents the spirit of the Chinese nation and the pride of its people,” Na commented.

She added:

The ‘Jia Chen Year’ digital stamp collection contains cultural connotations of carrying forward the Chinese dragon culture, promoting the spirit of the Chinese dragon, and spreading China’s voice to the world. The release aims to showcase the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture and explore the integration of this tradition with advanced technology.

Digital Stamps on Polygon—China Makes the Leap

By digitizing stamps, DGS proved that the Polygon blockchain is robust enough to support the tokenization of real-world assets, believes Lin Chen, the associate vice president of the University of Hong Kong.

(The physical stamps that DGS digitized on-chain on the Polygon network.)

DGS further revealed that it supports the personalization of digital stamps, allowing users to permanently engrave information such as the collector’s name or a dedicated message on the Polygon blockchain. It further called on members of the Liaison Office of the Chinese government, members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and other government bodies to participate in the process.

Polygon continues to appeal to developers and users, with data showing that only Ethereum attracted more first-time developers last year. The network recorded over 22,000 monthly active developers last year, although this was a reduction from the previous year.

The native token, MATIC, has struggled this year, and at press time, it traded at $0.733, over 25% down since the year started.