Art News

China’s dragon stamp breathes criticism, fear-some people call it too ferocious

BEIJING (AP).- A stamp designed to mark China’s upcoming Year of the Dragon is drawing unusual criticism for its fang-bearing monster. The stamp went on sale Thursday, drawing the heavy crowds that normally flock to buy the annual Lunar New Year stamps. But the dragon’s attacking pose on this year’s stamp has led some people to call it too ferocious. Zhang Yihe, a renowned Chinese writer, wrote on her Sina Weibo microblog that she was “scared to death” when she first saw the red and yellow creature with scales and claws. Another writer, Tan Xudong, called it an “incomparably ugly dragon-year stamp.” Its designer, Chen Shaohua, said he had received criticism, abuse and support for the stamp, brought out ahead of the Chinese New Year, which is Jan. 23. Chen has defended his design, saying that the dragon