WINTER used to be a slow season for tourism, but this year turned out to be different.

    The first Rare China Stamps Show was held in Qingdao, attracting 5,000 visitors eager to see rare stamps worth more than 100 million yuan (US$15 million). They were on exhibition for only one day over security concerns.

    Long lines of visitors swarmed into the Qingdao Municipal Museum to see the rare stamps, including the “China Red,” the rarest stamp in China and “Big Dragon,” the first stamp produced in the country.

    The old venue of Qingdao Municipal Museum also attracted 1,300 daily visitors, while Qingdao Folk Culture Museum drew more than 1,000 visitors per day.

    The exhibitions featured precious resources, collaborations with other museums and interactive displays.

    The old venue of Qingdao Municipal Museum showed a series of photos from the beginning of the 20th century, allowing visitors to experience the old Qingdao.

    Qingdao Folk Culture Museum has long been considered one of the most important features in Qingdao’s tourism offering. It recently held an exhibition celebrating Mazu culture and has begun the reconstruction of its theater to stage more folk culture performances. (Jane Lai)