Macao 2018 – 35th Asian International Stamp Exhibition kicked off in Macao on the 21st. During the guided tour, the director of Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau Lau Wai Meng has specifically introduced all the media eight postal treasures which were lent by China National Post and Postage Stamp Museum displayed at the Treasure Gallery. Its profile as follows,
Manuscript of R. A. de Villard I, II, III
The earliest stamp design drawings collected in China National Post and Postage Stamp Museum were designed by a foreign official of the Maritime Customs in Qing dynasty called R. A. de Villard. The “Coiling Dragon, Jumping Carp and Wild Swan” stamps were officially issued by the Chinese Imperial Post of the Qing dynasty since 1897. The denomination of the “Coiling Dragon” was in cent, “Jumping Carp” in ten-cent and “Flying Goose” in dollar.
The content of Manuscript of R. A. de Villard covers the design and fabrication of Large Dragon, Small Dragon, Birthday of Empress Dowager Jubilee, Coiling Dragon stamps and postcards. It has a detail description on drawings, denominations, fonts, formats, typesetting, issue date, paper type, printers and fabrication charges. Manuscript of R. A. de Villard is the precious collection of China National Post and Postage Stamp Museum that provides valuable first-hand information for the study of postal history, stamps and postcards during the Qing dynasty.
Large Dragon Stamps
The “Large Dragon Stamps” is the first postage stamps issue of China. This is a set of three stamps with denomination of one Candarin (green), three Candarins (red) and five Candarins (yellow). As this set of stamps features a dragon, it was named “China Large Dragon Stamps”, and commonly known as “Large Dragon Stamps”. The “Large Dragon Stamps” is an important symbol regarding the origin of modern Chinese postal history, and also a key milestone in its development.
Qing Postage Due Stamps Overprinted With “Provisional Neutrality”
When the Republic of China was established on 1st January 1912, there was insufficient time to print new postage due stamps. A. Théophile Piry, a French in charge of China Post at that time held a neutral position, ordered the supply office of Shanghai Post overprint the words “Provisional Neutrality” in font size 5 with red ink on the London Print Qing postage due stamps which had eight different denominations and put them for sale starting on 30th January.
Soldiers of War Against Japanese Aggression Commemorative Stamps
On 26th August 1938, the commemorative stamp “Soldiers of War Against Japanese Aggression” was issued by the Shanxi-Hebei-Chahar Border Region Provisional Post. These stamps were distributed to the soldiers free of charge as a benefit to them to send letters. The stamp does not have denomination and perforation. The “Soldiers of War Against Japanese Aggression” is the first issue of commemorative stamp during the Chinese people’s revolutionary war period. It is also the first one without denomination and exclusive for military use.
T.46 Gengshen Year Stamps and Original Drawing
T.46 Gengshen Year Stamps were designed by the well-known painter Huang Yongyu and Jiang Weijie. Huang Yongyu created an adorable image of the “golden monkey” in ink wash painting and Jiang Weijie engraved it with beautiful fine lines, which is a perfect reflection of the original design. T.46 Gengshen Year Stamps were issued on 15th February 1980, marked the beginning of the Chinese Zodiac stamp series. Its market price has repeatedly reached record highs.
W7 Poems of Chairman Mao Stamps
Mao Zedong was a great politician, revolutionist and at the same time an outstanding poet and calligrapher. This series has included 13 stamps of Mao’s poems, reducing only the size of the original work without any other alteration. Therefore, the stamps have various dimensions. The carver has used his superb technique to embody the ups and downs of the strokes, lively rhythm, elegance, free and unrestrained style, as well as magnificence of Mao’s calligraphy.