"The exhibition shows that stamps are really an international hobby," said H. James Maxwell, president of China Stamp Society from the U.S. at the newly opened2009 World Stamp Exhibition in central China's Luoyang City Friday.

The exhibition, also regarded as "the Olympics of Philately culture activities", will run seven days until April 16. The fact that all the 84 members of the Federation of International Philately (FIP) get together for the exhibition has justified the success of the event, said Joseph Wolff, the FIP President at the opening ceremony of the exhibition hall.

Coming from over 110 countries and regions, philately organizations have brought more than 3,200 framed stamp collections, among which are 80 frames of world-renowned stamps such as the "Penny Black" from the British royal family collection, which was issued in 1840 as the first stamp in the world.

The exhibition will also run an international summit forum, and an auction for rare stamps. About 1,000 stamp businessmen have also come to the exhibition.

"We have come here to learn more about the stamp market of the world , and we will bring what we have learned to the 2010 World Stamp Exhibition in South Africa," said Johan van Wyk, Senior Manager of Philatelic Services of South African Post Office Limited at his booth.

To commemorate the exhibition, more than 20 countries and regions around the world have issued 24 stamps about the peony, the floral symbol of Luoyang, including Singapore, Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Uganda. A total of 60 commemorative envelopes were also designed by 60 famous designers across China.

The exhibition is held in the two-storeyed new hall of Luoyang Museum, which covers 300 mu (1 mu equals 666.6 square meters). Thetwo-storeyed museum, with a total floor area of 42,000 square, holds stamp booths and activity areas at the first floor and stamps display at second floor.

In the "Youth inactive Area" on the first floor, Xu Yunqi, a girl of 10 from Luoyang, was studying the images of stamps from different countries on a big touch-screen. "The stamps are so beautiful! They bring me closer to histories and cultures from many parts of the world, " she said."