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Another Chinese success.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

There are 50 million stamp collectors in the world, we're told, and one-third of them 
live in China.

There are two reasons, according to The Slate website. One, it's a status symbol in 
China, a sign of being middle class and scholarly.

The other reason is that the Chinese government since Two Thousand has been encouraging 
stamp collecting by elementary and high school students. It's a way to promote the 
country's history...as it is for any country.

It seems to have worked in China: Slate reports there are almost 50-THOUSAND stamp 
collecting organizations there. Some universities even offer courses in it.

And reports we've seen from stamp shows in China say they're MOBBED.

There are probably more stamp collectors in the U-S and other western countries than 
anyone knows -- There's no good way to count them. The Postal Service has a huge number 
of people on its mailing list.

Maybe it's that it's just not cool to say you're a stamp collector here. Look at the 
ribbing French president Nicholas Sarkozy is getting.

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting, 
without revealing to your neighbors that YOU'RE a stamp collector, visit 
virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

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