A Canadian stamp exhibition was held in Beijing yesterday, hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and held in one of its assembly rooms.

It was organized to mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada.

Officials from both countries' friendship associations as well as representatives of stamp collectors attended the opening ceremony.

The exhibition displayed all the stamps issued by Canada in the past 15 years. The stamps shown at the exhibition featured Canada's natural landscape and environment, its social and economic life as well as Canada's cultural diversity.

The exhibition echoed the Chinese stamp exhibition held last month in Canada by the CPAFFC and will last until Sunday.

The same day, Canada Post and China State Post Bureau jointly issued two domestic rate (0.50 yuan) stamps to commemorate the anniversary. The two stamps featured Canada's cougar and China's Amur leopard.

Fifteen years ago, the two countries jointly issued stamps commemorating Norman Bethune, a Canadian doctor who joined a group of western doctors in China in 1938.

(China.org.cn by Wind Gu October 14, 2005)