More than 600,000 exhibitors are expected to attend the 2009 World Stamp Exhibition, which opened last night in Henan province's Luoyang city.

It is the first time all 84 members of the Federation of International Philately (FIP), the exhibition's sponsor, have participated in the annual event, the exhibition's executive committee vice-chairman Guo Hongchang said.

More than 3,200 framed stamp collections will be displayed at the exhibition, which ends on April 16. Among the 80 rare stamp displays are the British royal family's world-renowned "Penny Black" stamps, and the Red Revenue Stamps from China National Post and the Postage Stamp Museum.