Diplomatic Pouch: With Mike Peters

A two-year collaboration between the Danish and Chinese postal systems bore fruit in Nanjing, when a pair of intaglio-engraved stamps was officially issued.

Engraved stamps represent a great tradition of fine design and craftsmanship, says Lene Reipuert, the head of stamp production for Denmark Post. She and Martin Pingel, the Danish agency's design chief, were in China last week for the Nanjing ceremony.

The two stamps represent centuries-old inventions that astronomers used to survey the night skies. The "abridged armilla" from Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) China and the "great equatorial armillary sphere" of 16th-century Denmark are etched in fine detail on the newly minted Chinese stamps, valued at 1.20 yuan (0.15 euros), and two 6-kroner stamps that will be issued in Denmark on Jan 4.

More postal news: On behalf of the Croatian Post, Ambassador Ante Simonic received two prizes late last month: Croatian Post Europe-Children's Books stamps won the best stamp award in the 10th China Best Foreign Stamp Annual Poll and the honor award for participating in every poll for the past 10 years. Representatives of more than 20 countries took part in the awards ceremony.

The drama of bullfighting culture has come to life in a new exhibition at Beijing's Cervantes Institute, and Spain's Ambassador to China, Eugenio Bregolat-Obiols, was on hand this month for a preview. Bullfighting from Behind the Barrier features 24 photographs and a video inspired by the world that surrounds this ancient sport.

The preview tour was followed by a panel discussion, which included anthropologist Ramon Zabalza Ramos, journalist Antonio Lorca and Chinese professor of literature and popular culture Zhang Yiwu from Peking University.

The exhibition and a companion film festival continue in Beijing until March, when the show will move on to Shanghai.

The embassy of Sweden organized a reception in which many Chinese writers and poets as well as a Swedish writers' delegation attended. One purpose of the reception was to pay tribute to the Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in literature.

The event also included prize awards to the winners of the Swedish literary translation competition, which the embassy arranged earlier this year with the Institute of Foreign Literature at the China Academy of Social Sciences.

Among Chinese guests were Li Li, translator of Transtromer's poems, and Zhang Kangkang, vice-president of the Chinese Writers' Association. The Swedish writers' delegation consisted of Mats Soderlund, poet and chairman of the Swedish Writers' Union.

Hungarian Ambassador Sndor Kusai recently dropped in at the Danish embassy to brief Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen on Hungary's recent experience in the chair of the EU's rotating presidency. Petersen is also conferring with his counterparts from Poland, which now holds the presidency, and another recent holder, Spain. Denmark will assume the role next month.

Czech Ambassador to China Libor Secka hosts a reception for Chinese artist Yin Dingcai on Dec 16. Yin has an exhibition at the embassy, part of a three-year Embassy Art exchange program.

Embassy news can be sent to mike.peters.cd@chinadaily.com.cn