Scene from Tibet.

My friend from Shanghai sent this card showing a scene from Tibet.

Chinese Models in the '30s

Cheng from China sent me this card showing an advertising posterm with a picture of models in the '30s.

Badain Jaran Desert

The Badain Jaran Desert is a desert in China which spans the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. It covers an area of 49,000 sq. kilometers (19,000 sq. miles). By size it is the third largest desert in China.

This desert is home to some of the tallest stationary dunes on Earth. Some reaching a height of more than 500 meters (1,600 ft.) although most average at around 200 meters. Its tallest dune is also measured, from base to peak, as the world's third tallest dune and highest stationary dune in the world.

The desert also features over 100 spring-fed lakes that lie between the dunes, some of which are fresh water while others are extremely saline. These lakes give the desert its name which is Mongolian for "mysterious lakes". It is also crossed by one river, the Ruo Shui ("weak water"), which has formed an alluvial plain in the desert.

Thank you Aki for this card.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 720,000 m² (7,800,000 sq ft). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War.

The card shows the Inner Court Complex of the Forbidden City. Thank you SiQi for this lovely card.

Chinese Calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy is a form of calligraphy widely practiced and revered in the Chinese cultural sphere, which often includes Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, China, and Japan. The calligraphic tradition of East Asia originated and developed from China. There is a general standardization of the various styles of calligraphy in this tradition. Chinese calligraphy and ink and wash painting are closely related, since they are accomplished using similar tools and techniques. Chinese painting and calligraphy distinguish themselves from other cultural arts because they emphasize motion and are charged with dynamic life. According to Stanley-Baker, "Calligraphy is sheer life experienced through energy in motion that is registered as traces on silk or paper, with time and rhythm in shifting space its main ingredients." Calligraphy has also led to the development of many forms of art in China, including seal carving, ornate paperweights, and ink stones.

In Ancient China Chinese characters can be retraced to 4000 BC signs (Lu & Aiken 2004). The contemporary Chinese characters set principles were already visible in ancient China's Jiǎgǔwén characters carved on ox scapulas and tortoise plastrons around 14th - 11th century BCE (Lu & Aiken 2004). Brush-written examples decay over time and have not survived. During the divination ceremony, after the cracks were made, characters were written with a brush on the shell or bone to be later carved.(Keightley, 1978). With the development of Jīnwén (Bronzeware script) and Dàzhuàn (Large Seal Script) "cursive" signs continued. Moreover, each archaic kingdom of current China had its own set of characters. Running Script (Xing Shu), a calligraphy style that is semi-regular and semi-cursive, originated in the Han Dynasty (206B.C.-A.D.220).

And the theme of the two stamps on these two maxicards is Poems composed during the Cold Food Festival in Huangzhou.

Thank you Merja.

Winter's scene in China

Guliang sent me this pretty winter's scene, somewhere in the mountains of China.

Tiannv - the fairy

This lovely card was sent to me by Wenshiqi from China. She tells me that the picture on the card is a cartoon image of a role in a Peking opera. They call her "Tiannv"(a fairy), something like chang-e (the goddess of the moon in chinese culture). 

Chinese Water Regions

Jevey from China sent me this card, which shows some boys having fun in the village river.

Cemetery of Confucius

The Cemetery of Confucius, also known under its Chinese name Kong Lin, is a cemetery of the Kong clan (the descendants of Confucius) in Confucius' hometown Qufu. Confucius himself and some of his disciples are buried there, as well as many thousands of his descendants.

Since 1994, the Cemetery of Confucius has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu". The two other components of the site are the Temple of Confucius dedicated to the memory of the philosopher and the Kong Family Mansion, where his descendants lived. The three sites are collectively known in Qufu as San Kong, i.e. "The Three Confucian [sites]".

In 1331 construction work began on the wall and gate of the cemetery. In total, the cemetery has undergone 13 renovations and extensions. Eventually, by the late 18th century, the perimeter wall reached a length of 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi), enclosing an area of 3.6 square kilometres (1.4 sq mi). In this space, the tombs of more than 100,000 descendants of Confucius, who have been buried there over a period of about 2,000 years, can be found. The oldest graves date back to the Zhou Dynasty, the most recent of which belong to descendants in the 76th and 78th generation.

The cemetery suffered serious damage in November 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, when it was visited and vandalized by a team of Red Guards from Beijing Normal University, led by Tan Houlan. The corpse of the 76th-generation Duke Yansheng was removed from his grave and hung naked from a tree in front of the palace during the desecration of the cemetery in the Cultural Revolution.

Timmy sent me this nice card.

Tight Rope Cycling

Without a safety net a cyclist crosses on a tight-rope with his human passenger hanging underneath. And, mind you all this over a 1000 meter deep gorge. Scene of this show, was in a valley in Chaibuxi national park in central China's Hubei Province. I have never seen or hjeard of such a stunt. All I can say is unbelievable. Thank you Vorliebe from Witten in Germany for a really wonderful card.

Shenzhen OCT East – It’s Theme Parks, Resorts, Villages and more

Once again China leaves everyone in awe of the scale of some of  it’s undertakings, people here think big, but I guess they have to! The Shenzen OCT East is a combination of two large theme parks, resort hotels, three small scenic towns, golf courses and more covering an area of 9 square kilometers. It is huge. I guess you could call it destination tourism, a man made one stop holiday utopia.

Their intention is clear, they’ve built a one stop destination for a surreal holiday experience. Packed into one big location is the adventure, excitement, wonder, thrills and eye-opening sights matched together with comfort and relaxation. OCT East is located a little out of the way, about 40 minutes or so from central Shenzhen by bus or taxi. It’s another tourist attraction where its best to arrive early and beat the long entry lines due to volumes of tour buses.

The picture on the card Kathylee sent me is of Huaxing Mahayana Hotel of Shenzhen OCT East, sanctuary of Zen. The Mahayana OCT Boutique Hotel Shenzhen. Located in the breathtaking Wind Valley of OCT East, The Mahayana OCT Boutique Hotel, sanctuary of Zen, within Hua Xing Temple, offers a brand new level of tranquility, elegance, peace and nature for the soul searching being.

A brief about the Hua Xing Temple here won’t be out of place. It is located in the breathtaking Wind Valley of OCT East, and offers the perfect bolthole from the hustle and bustle of city life. It covers 12000㎡and contains Guanyin Statues, Hua Xing Temple, The Mahayana OCT Boutique Hotel, Buddhist Holy Place, Buddhist Music Performance, Grand Hall, Market, vegetarian restaurant, and the Guiyi Pavilion.

Qu Yuan Memorial

Located in Zigui County in Hubei Province, the Qu Yuan Memorial in Zigui is a memorial of Chinese historical figures. It was opened to the public in 1981. Françoise sent me this pretty card.

There are two floors of exhibition halls -- the second floor displays more than 800 unearthed relics in the county, such as ancient daggers, spears and swords, the most precious of which is the sword of the Yue King Goujian of the Warring States Period (475-221BC); the first floor showcases cultural relics related to Qu Yuan, including the precious poetry Chu Ci (literally, poetry of the Chu Kingdom), 500 sets of books collected by Qu Yuan, and over 300 calligraphic works and paintings of various dynasties collected by him.

The memorial also houses the stone sculpture and bronze sculpture of Qu Yuan, the Jusong Pavilion (the pavilion used to praise tangerines), and the stele corridor. The stone sculpture of 103 centimetres tall was made in the 16thyear (1573) during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1644-1911) with the money donated by the common people in Guizhou, and is the earliest extant stone sculpture of Qu Yuan in China. The bronze sculpture stands in the centre of the memorial, its pedestal made of granites is 2.5 meters high and the body is 3.92 meters tall. In the tangerine grove 50 meters away from the Qu Yuan Tomb, there are 60 steles carved with 25 pieces of Qu Yuan's poetry Li Sao(Sorrow after Departure).

Saiga Tatarica

High-nose Antelope (Saiga Tatarica). High nose antelope Alias ​​saiga antelope big nose, is bovine, scientific name Saiga tatarica. Body length100 ~ 150 cm, shoulder height from 63 to 83 antelope cm, adult males weighing 37 ~ 60 kg, female 29 ~ 37 kg. Male with a horn, long 28 ~ 37 cm, the base about. are hundreds of large migration only.Activities during the day in winter and summer activities mainly in the twilight. The phenomenon of seasonal migration, moving south in winter the warmth of sunnyhillside area. Run very fast and have endurance, were nomads known as the “long-distance athlete.” Dominated by grass and shrub food. In autumn and early wintermating is not. Intense competition between male female phenomenon, but not for long. Pregnancy more than six months, each child 1-2 Aberdeen. China’s wild populations have become extinct, has been introduced back in Gansu and Xinjiangsemi-range, for the restoration of wild populations for experiments and research.Commonly referred to as valuable medicinal antelope horn, is from the high noseantelope. Junggar Basin of Xinjiang origin. Belong to the state level to protectanimals. This pretty maxicard was sent to me by Francoise from China.

Unity of Chinese Ethnic Groups

Unity of Ethnic Groups - Marking the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1949-1999). China is a multi-national country with 56 ethnic groups. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the PRC, the State Postal Bureau issued a set of 56 piece commemorative stamps, "Unity of Ethnic Groups-Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China (1949-1999)". The maxi card displayed has one of these 56 stamps. The card was issued on 1.10.1999. For those interested in the Hui people, the paragraphs below may be of interest.

The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese-speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travellers.

In modern People's Republic of China, the term "Hui people" refers to one of the officially recognized 56 ethnic groups into which Chinese citizens are classified. Under this definition, the Hui people are defined to include all historically Muslim communities in People's Republic of China that are not included in China's other ethnic groups. Since China's Muslims speaking various Turkic, Mongolian, or Iranian languages are all included into those other groups (e.g.,Uyghurs, Dongxiang, or Tajiks) the "officially recognized" Hui ethnic group consists predominantly of Chinese speakers. In fact, the "Hui nationality" is unique among China's officially recognized ethnic minorities in that it does not have any particular non-Chinese language associated with it.

The Hui people are of varied ancestry, many of whom are direct descendants of Silk Road travellers. Their ancestors include Central Asian, Arabs, and Persian, who married Han Chinese. Several medieval dynasties, particularly the Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, and Mongol Yuan Dynasty encouraged immigration from predominantly-Muslim Persia and Central, with both dynasties welcoming traders from these regions and appointing Central Asian officials. In the subsequent centuries, they gradually mixed with Mongols and Han Chinese, and the Hui people were formed. On account of this mixing and long residence in China, the Hui have not retained Central Asian, Persian, or Arabic names, using instead names typical of their Han Chinese neighbours; however, certain names common among the Hui can be understood as Chinese renderings of common Muslim (i.e. Arabic), Persian, and Central Asian names. This pretty card was given to me by Françoise.

Ethnic Communities in China

These four pretty postcards were sent to me from China by Françoise. They show glimpses of four different ethnic communities in China. They are :-

Jino nationality (top left) which is one of the 56 ethnic groups in China, the population is around 20,899, most of the Jinos live in the Jinoluoke Township of Jinghong County in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.The language of this ethnic minority belongs to the Tibetan-Myanmese group of the Sino -Tibetan language family. Its structure and vocabulary have much in common with Yi and Myanmese.

The Monbas (top right) are scattered in the southern part of Tibet Autonomous Region. Most of them live in Medog, Nyingch and Cona counties. They have forged close links with the Tibetan people through political, economic and cultural exchanges and intermarriage over the years.

The Lhoba Nationality (below left) is one of the smallest ethnic groups of China. It has only 2.312 members. They mainly live in Mainling, Medog, Zayu, Khunze and Nang counties. The Lhobas have many tribes including the Bogar, Ningbo, Bangbo, Degen, Adi, and Tajin. Lhoba is a name given them by the Tibetans meaning "the Southerners". After the founding of new China, they were named the Lhoba Nationality.

The smallest of China's 55 ethnic groups is the Hezhen nationality (below right) who once lived at the confluence of the Heilongjiang, Songhua, and Usuli rivers in Heilongjiang Province in northeast China. Their illiteracy rate is the 4th lowest following the Chinese Tartars, the Chinese Koreans, and the Xibos, and even lower than that of the Han nationality. There were about 12,000 Hezhen citizens in the early 18th century.

Secret Buddha (Krodha Guhyasamaja)

Preaching Secret Buddha dharma Krodha Guhyasamaja is also called “Happy Buddha” with the image of a man and a woman holding each other’s arms. For those interested to know more about this form of Buddhism it is advisable, to read the texts of the dharma mentioned. The author of this blog is not competent to interpret the nuances or the finer points. This card was sent to me by Michael from Canton.

China – Eight Diagrams Teapot (Qing Dynasty)

Tai ji or T'ai chi as it is better known here, literally means 'supreme','ultimate' and is seen as the perpetual cycle of Ying and Yang. This symbol is found on the teapot lid. The eight diagrams known as 'bagua' in China is a philosphical Taosit concept represented with an octangonal diagram. Its Approx size is 18cm length, 11cm wide and 7cm high. Teapot capacity is approx. 320ml. The teapot shown on the card was popular amongst the intelligentia during the Qing Dynasty. Thank you Maria for this card.

China – Jinan University

Jinan University is a leading research and comprehensive university based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. It is one of the oldest universities established on mainland China tracing back to the Qing Empire. It is a university administered by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and the Chinese Ministry of Education. The name "Ji-Nan" (also Chi-Nan "reaching southward") comes from 'The Classic of History' which is a compilation of documentary records related to events in ancient history of China. The articles reads, "His speech and teachings spread from north to south, until they reached the four corners of the world." Thus the name "Jinan" conveys the school's mission: to spread Chinese culture and learning from North to South, from China to the rest of the world. Gong Yudie sent me this nice maxi card

China - Kaiping

Kaiping or Hoi Ping is a county-level city in Guangdong Province, southern China. It has a population of 680,000 as of 2003 and an area of 1,659 km². The locals speak a variation of the Taishan dialect. Kaiping has traditionally been a region of major emigration abroad, and a melting pot of ideas and trends brought back by overseas Chinese made good. As a consequence, several watchtowers incorporate architectural features from China and the West. As a result, a large number of early Chinese Canadian and Chinese American communities had people who originated from Kaiping and its neighbouring counties of Taishan, Enping and Xinhui. It is said that there are more Kaipingnese people living abroad today than there are Kaipingnese in Kaiping. My friend Gong Yudie sent me this nice maxi card in a beautiful cover with a nice minisheet and pretty stamps on it as displayed.