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"Development of Public Housing in Hong Kong" special stamps

Hong Kong's public housing programme has come a long way since it started off as an emergency measure to resettle victims of fires and natural disasters in the mid 1950s - first it provided shelter, then it provided a home for the community at large. Today, more than half of Hong Kong's population live in public rental housing and subsidized home ownership flats provided by the Government.

Both the design and quality of public housing have improved steadily over time. While public housing estates and "new" towns with a full range of community facilities have been built since the early 1970s, older estates are now being progressively renovated or redeveloped to satisfy the needs and aspirations of the community. Today, providing decent and affordable housing for those in need still remains one of the prime objectives of the Hong Kong SAR Government.

This set of special stamps depicts the progress of public housing development in Hong Kong over the past five decades, from the earliest seven-storey resettlement "Mark I" blocks with virtually no self-contained facilities to the latest modern, well-designed and fully integrated estates. It also reflects the achievements of the public housing programme in improving the living conditions and quality of life for the people of Hong Kong during this period.

This is also the first set of pentagonal stamps and tête-bêche stamps in Hong Kong. The use of a pentagonal-shaped stamp matches the theme of a living habitat. Tête-bêche stamps are produced during the plate-making stage. The stamps are arranged back to back. Hence, the stamps are printed with an upright image attached to an inverted image.