With Sarah Brightman, who lent her voice at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, Kung Fu Star Jackie Chan and numerous pop singers all in attendance, a grand evening gala is staged in Luoyang, the beautiful peony city of Henan Province, to mark the opening of 2009 World Stamp Exhibition on April 9th, 2009.

It is the first time all 84 members of the Federation of International Philately (FIP), the exhibition's sponsor, have applied for the annual event, according to Guo Hongchang, vice chairman of the 2009 World Stamp Exhibition's executive committee.

Sarah Brightman in the opening ceremony of 2009 World Stamp Exhibition

More than 3,200 framed stamp collections will be displayed at the event which actually runs from April 10 to 16. Among the 80 frames of rare stamps is the world-renowned "Penny Black" from the British royal family, as well as Red Revenue Stamps from the China National Post and Postage Stamp Museum.

Guo said eight different medals will be awarded to stamp collections in the competition category. The Large Gold Medal and the Gold Medal are the top prizes.

More than 60 experts from 20 countries and regions form the World Stamp Exhibition Evaluation Committee. Its job is to review the competitive collections sent by FIP members.

The earliest international stamp exhibition was held in Vienna in 1881. The first FIP-sponsored World Stamp Exhibition was held in Algiers in 1930, after the federation was established in 1926.