 |
November '99 Issue 72 |
|
November '99 Issue 72 |
| CONTENTS
New Line Links East & West (Well, Almost)
Gumless Wonders
Imperial Exhibits Tell Grand Tales
|
Gumless Wonders
Postage stamps provide a simple visual record of the bewilderingly complex social and political machinations of modern Chinese history. Chinese philatelists must soon became expert amateur historians. A postal service often supplies a textbook example of how socialist planning and market principles could theoretically meld into a happier, more organized society. Perhaps this -- plus its long history -- accounts for the peculiar passion for the subject in China. The first stirrings of what would eventually become a postal service can be traced back to China of more than 3,000 years ago: Watchtowers on the Great Wall actually served as messenger stations in the past. A kind of primitive pony express service originated with the army. Urgent military messages needed to be rapidly dispatched to the emperor in the capital. Stations were built along the way for messengers to change horses. By the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), these stations were costing up to 3 million liang (silver pieces) in maintenance every year. Corrupt local officials kept their cut. Indeed, the effectiveness of the whole exercise soon became clear during the disastrous Opium War (1840-2). After carving up China, the colonial powers introduced a modern postal system and on March 20, 1878, the Qing government was ordered to open a postal service under the Department of Customs. The first stamps, Giant Dragons, were issued in 1878. In 1896, the Qing Postal Service Bureau was formally established and issued another 12 dragon stamps of eight different patterns. A year after the establishment of the Republic of China by Sun Yat-sen, the first two sets of commemorative stamps were issued in 1912. Ordinary, functional stamps went into circulation the next year in 1913. Nine years later, the first air mail stamps were issued. The Republic of China (1911-49) altogether issued 29 sets of commemorative stamps, 62 sets of common stamps, 10 sets of air mail stamps, three sets of charity stamps, two sets of military mail stamps, 13 sets of postage-due stamps and five sets of express mail stamps. However, the Republic was not the only China issuing stamps. A new China was emerging and during the 1920s, the PeopleÕs Postal Service issued its own stamps all over the liberated areas. The first three Communist stamps were issued in the South Jiangxi Liberated Area in 1930. They include the blue 1-cent, yellowish-green 3-cent and blue 8-cent stamps. In 1949, for example, there were 427 postal vehicles for a population of 400 million.
Ji Ming Yi--Cockcrow Station--is China's oldest, largest messenger station built during the Yuan Dunasty(1217-1368) and is in today's Huailai, Hebei Province, 120 kilometers from Beijing. The city is enclosed by a 500-meter city wall, now damaged in places by shooting of the Chinese war movie The Battle of Tai'erzhuang. More interesting, Empress Dowager Cixi stopped at Ji Ming Yi during her flight to Xi'an after the Eight Powers invasion of Beijing in 1900. She stayed at a Huailai peasant's home. The peasant, known only by his family name He, looked after the imperial lady. She was so impressed by He's conduct, she took him on as her nominally adopted son, without ever telling him she was Cixi. Later, he became head of the nearby six villages. Now in and around the station, there are more than 5,000 residents. Local authorities are seeking ways to preserve the relics and make them a tourist attraction. Huailai is on the route of highway 110 from Beijing to Zhangjiakou. The stamps of this period had a distinctive political identity and high propaganda value at a time when people doubted the Communists' ability to govern. A total 17 sets of more than 40 varieties was issued during 1927-1937. More than 50 sets of 250 varieties were issued during the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945). More than 400 sets of 2,000 varieties of stamps were issued during the Liberation War (1946-1949). The National Post and Telecommunication Bureau was formally established on November 1, 1949, symbolizing the union of the national postal system. But more than 20 years of war had taken their toll. In 1949, for example, there were 427 postal vehicles for a population of 400 million. On October 1, 1949, New China's first commemorative stamp to celebrate the first Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was issued. Today, the People's Republic of China has issued more than 800 sets of stamps of 3,000 varieties.
|
Cover Story
