New stamps from Hong Kong..

Date of Issue : 2 August 2011

Hong Kong Post has been releasing stamp sheetlets on Mainland Scenery since 2002 to introduce the natural grandeur and cultural heritage in China. To mark the conclusion of the series, Hong Kong Post has issued "The Complete Mainland Scenery Series" stamp sheetlet on 2 August 2011  embedded with nine stamps to capture all ten mainland scenes in the series.

 

The ten mainland scenes in the series are:

No. 1: Hukou Waterfall - Situated near Mount Longwang, in Ji County, Shanxi Province, the Hukou Waterfall is the greatest yellow waterfall in the world. Racing through the 250-metre wide Jinshan Gorge, the broad waters of the Yellow River squeeze abruptly into a width of only 50 metres at Hukou. From there, the waters plunge into a 30-metre deep rocky hole, just like water being poured from a teapot. This explains the derivation of Hukou (the spout of a teapot). The image showcases the grandeur of Hukou Waterfall.

No. 2: The Master-of-Nets Garden, Suzhou - The Garden boasts the classic layout of residences of aristocrats in Suzhou with the living quarters lying in the east and the garden in the west. Ponds are the centre of the Garden, which is divided into five parts: living quarters in the east, amusement areas in the south, circular ponds in the centre, internal gardens in the west and libraries in the north. In 1997, the Master-of-Nets Garden was included in the World Heritage List compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The stamp features the Moon Comes with Breeze Pavilion, which is one of the Garden’s most renowned attractions.

No. 3: The Chen Clan Academy, Guangzhou - Originally built as an ancestral shrine and a Confucian academy for members of the Chen clan living in Guangdong Province, The Chen Clan Academy is preserved as The Guangdong Folk Art Museum to showcase the handicrafts and folk art of the region. Indeed, all the buildings in the Academy are exquisitely decorated with carvings and sculptures featuring scenes from Chinese legends, literature and folklore. The stamp focuses on the ornamental doors of the Academy.

No. 4: The Qiantang Bore - The Qiantang Bore has long been recognised as one of the most spectacular in the world. It is a unique wave system brought along by the pull of the moon and the sun on entering funnel-shaped Hangzhou Bay estuary. Traditionally, people gather to appreciate the massiveness of this foaming and roaring bore tide on the birthday of the God of the Tides on the 18th day of the 8th lunar month from the vantage point of Yanguan Town, Haining City. The stamp captures the Haining Yanguan Rolling Tide below the Zhan’ao Pagoda.

No. 5: Mount Taishan - Mount Taishan acquired its name during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC). Rising abruptly from the vast North China Plain (Central Shandong Province), it was formed some 2.4 billion years ago and is famed for its towering grandeur and dignified beauty. In 1987, Mount Taishan was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The stamp features Gongbei Rock.

No. 6: Shilin, Kunming - The spectacular karst terrain of Shilin, the Stone Forest, is the result of weathering and erosion over some 270 million years. This awe-inspiring landscape spans 350 square kilometres, offering a dazzling array of geographical features. As the legend goes, Shilin is the home of Ashima, a folk heroine among the Yi People who inhabit southwest China. Shilin was designated a National Scenic Spot in 1982 and included in UNESCO’s first list of Global Geoparks in 2004. The stamp depicts "Hanging-by-a-Thread", a rock hanging perilously high overhead.

No. 7: Huanglong - Huanglong is renowned for its colourful pools, snowy peaks, stunning gorges and dense forests. The most unique attraction is the kaleidoscope of travertine (limestone) formations. The shoals, lakes, waterfalls and caves formed by limestone deposition offer a splendid array of scenic landscapes. Huanglong was designated a National Scenic Spot in 1982 and subsequently listed as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992. The stamp features the Welcome Ponds at Huanglonggou.

No. 8: Mount Tianshan, Xinjiang - Spanning 2,500 kilometres, Mount Tianshan runs through central Xinjiang, and is one of the most extensive mountain belts in central Asia. It is also the largest contemporary glacier region in China, enjoying its reputation as the "Glacier Kingdom". Among glaciers of different scales, Glacier No. 1, dubbed the "living glacier fossil", stands out for its magnificent ice waterfall. The stamp gives a glimpse of the pristine and serene Lake Tianchi.

No. 9: Fujian Tulou - Fujian Tulou was constructed with reinforced materials. Raw earth, the primary construction material, is mixed with sand, lime, wood strips and the like. The mixture is then rubbed, pounded and compressed. Tulou are well ventilated, naturally lit, wind sheltered and quakeproof. The baked tile roofs are exceptionally durable. Officially inscribed on the World Heritage List on 6 July 2008, Fujian Tulou comprises 46 buildings scattered in ten sites in three counties. The stamp features Chengqi Lou of the Gaobei Cluster, renowned as the "King of Tulou".

No. 10: Dunhuang Grottoes - Situated in Dunhuang County of Gansu Province, the Dunhuang Grottoes consist of five main cave sites. Of them, the Mogao Caves are the oldest in history, grandest in scale and richest in content. The Mogao Caves were declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 by UNESCO. Built on the external wall of Cave No. 96, the Jiucenglou (nine-storeyed building), the tallest structure in the Mogao Caves, is featured on the top of the stamp while the lower half of the stamp depicts a Buddhist mural found inside one of the caves.

Club News

 

Kapil Sibal Releases Commemorative Postage Stamp on Surendra Nath Jauhar

 

September 2, 2011

Kapil Sibal, Minister for Communications & IT and HRD released a commemorative Postage Stamp on Late Shri Surendra Nath Jauhar, noted freedom fighter, social worker, industrialist and philanthropist here today (2 September 2011). Speaking on the occasion Shri Sibal said that it is a privilege to commemorate the memory and work of Shri Surendra Nath Jauhar which continues to inspire generations through value based education.

Shri Jauhar (13.8.1903-02.9.1986) joined the freedom struggle at the age of 16 in response to a call to the youth of the country by Mahatma Gandhi. As a leading Congressman of Delhi, he was thrown behind the bars several times, two of the longest spells being 15 months for reading the Purna Swaraj pledge in 1930, and for participating in the Quit India Movement from 1942 to 1944. He became an ardent devotee of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in 1939. He gave away his land to establish the Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch in 1956, and also became the founder of Sri Aurobindo Education Society, under which he started The Mother’s International School in 1956 and Mirambika in 1982.

Summarising his life, it can be said that he gave his all for the country – as a freedom fighter and later as a pioneer of man-making and value-oriented education.Paying tribute to the memory of Sh. Jauhar, Dr Karan Singh recited a poem of Sri Aurobindo.

Source : INVC

Recent Special Covers

Two special Covers were released by J & K Postal Circle on Nehru Park, Dal Lake Sri Nagar on22 August 2011.

Nehru Park, Dal Lake - Srinagar

Golden Jubilee : National Council of Research and Training : 1 September 2011

Image Source : Philately Books

Indian themes on foreign stamps

                                                                                           - Kenneth Sequeira

Sculpture of Parvati

 

Country / Post : Great Britain

Date of Issue : 7 October 2003

Primary theme : History

Subject : The British Museum - Sculpture of Parvati

Stamp issuing authority : Royal Mail of Great Britain

The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. The museum first opened to the public on 15 January 1759 in Montagu House in Bloomsbury, on the site of the current museum building. The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.

 

: Kenneth Sequeira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.