The Colorful History of Chinese Stamps

IN August 1982, the First Congress of the All-China Philatelic Federation convened in beijing, and the Chinese ministry of Post and Telecommunications issued a stamp sheetlet in commemoration. The stamp motif depicts an ancient courier galloping on horseback, while in the background wild geese fly in graceful formation. Wild geese are migratory birds, and every au- tumn they can be counted on to set off on their thousand-kilometer migration southward to warmer climes.     

Special Stamps:Yandang Mountain

In September 2002, the State Postal Bureau issued a set of four special stamps depicting Yandang Mountain scenery.Yandang (Chinese for "where wild geese frolic") Mountain in southeastern Zhejiang Province is famous for its splendid peaks, caves and waterfalls. Its summit, Baigangjian, is over 1,000 meters above sea level. According to traditional belief, there was once a pool here where wild geese would nest in autumn.There are over 380 scenic sites on the mountain, three of the most famous being Ling Peak, Ling Crag, and Dalongqiu Waterfall.     

Taking Off for Foreign Lands

正Chinese tourists take flight, set sail and hit the road to travel abroad When reminiscing of her travels, Wang Yuanwang thinks back fondly to a 10-day kayaking trip she took in Russia with several classmates when she studied there in 2004. "We fished, picked mushrooms and wild fruit to feed ourselves. As we paddled we had a great view of the     

Mamma Mia! The Making of a Chinese Hit

THE Chinese version of the British smash-hit musical Mamma Mia! has swept Chinese theatergoers off their feet, or at least the enraptured faces of audience members leaving the theaters after witnessing the spectacle seem to suggest as much. The Chinese version of Mamma Mia! is the 14th incarnation of the musical, succeeding the show’s Italian, Japanese, German, Broadway and other reworkings. At the premiere in Shanghai in July 2011, a target of 200 performances was set by the show’s producers. With half of these performances already under its belt, the show continues to enjoy wild popularity: audi-     

Returning Home：From Fences to the Wild

THE milu appeared in China about two to three million years ago, almost the same time as human beings. Previously extinct in the wild, the milu call be found in captivity, and some are now being released back into the wild. The milu deer, or Elaphurus davidianus, is one of a few large mammals undergoing such rehabilitation. To date, about 76 percent of milu in the world live in China.     

Eyes Behind Me

IT was a wild boar.Bright moonlight illuminated the billowing field of tall crops and a wild boar coveting the ripe maize.The boy’s eyes opened wide,and the same was true for the wild boar.The two stared each other out.Behind the boy in the dense corn field was a makeshift shack that had taken his father a whole afternoon to complete some days ago.As the wind blew,the crops     

HARMONIOUS COEXISTENCE

正In upgrading its protection of wild elephants, China can look to Kenya Over the past few months, with the northward migration of Asian elephants in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the wild species has caught the eye of the international community, and the preparation for the establishment of an Asian elephant national park in China has been pushed forward.     

Avoiding a Big Catastrophe

Before last October,the South China tiger had almost slipped into mythi- cal status as it had been absent for so long from the public eye.In the previous 20-plus years,these tigers could not be found in the wild in China and the number of those in captivity numbered only around 60. The species—a direct descendent of the earliest tigers thought to have originat- ed in China 2 million years ago—is functionally extinct,according to experts. The big cat's return to the media spotlight was completely unexpected. On October 12,2007,a digital picture,showing a wild South China tiger     

An Eager Beaver

<正>Gen-Z conservationist protects wild animal habitats in Xinjiang Chu Wenwen was only 2 when she started accompanying her father,a conservationist,on his field research tracking wild animals unique to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,like the Mongolian wild ass and the black-tailed gazelle.Now 28,Chu considers these beautiful creatures part of her family.     

NAP TIME

正An aerial photo taken on June 7 shows wild Asian elephants in Jinning District of Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. The herd made a temporary stop there while migrating north. Asian elephants are mostly found in Yunnan, where their wild population has grown to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s.     

Last Chance to Save Wild Tigers

TIGERS have roamed the Chinese territory for two million years, but their numbers in the wild have been dropping steeply over the past century. Starting in the 1980s the Chinese government began to strengthen effortsto protect this beautiful felid species.     

Papercuts -- A Wealth of Cultural Diversity

Papercut art, which originated in China, dates back more than 3,000 years. Created and spread by ordinary people, the art has been compared to a ＂wild Hower＂ growing year after year, appearing everywhere. Today, this vibrant and colourful ＂wild flower＂ grows in many countries.     

Back to the Wild

<正>After decades of captive breeding,wild horses survive on their own in northwest China’s nature reserve Seven wild horses raised in captivity were released into the West Lake National Nature Reserve in Dunhuang,northwest China’s Gansu Province, on September 25, 2010.     

The Past Preserved

<正>With a history of several thousand years,central China's Hunan Province boasts a large number of cultural relics.The Hunan Provincial Museum in the provincial capital of Changsha alone houses more than 180,000 ancient artifacts.According to Yu Yanjiao,a researcher with the museum,there are four"must-knows"about Hunan's cultural heritage.Birthplace of rice Hunan's climate and soil are eminently suitable for the growth of rice.In 1995,four rice kernels dating back over 10,000 years were discovered in the archaeological site of Yuchanyan in Daoxian County,Yongzhou,which indicates that wild rice has been grown in the region since ancient times.Archaeological discoveries indicate that there are multiple locations in which wild rice used to be grown in Hunan.In 1988,a large quantity of rice husks mixed in with broken pottery pieces were found in the Pengtoushan Site in Lixian County,Changde City.These rice husks were identified to date back 9,000 years.     

Sci-Tech

正China,Russia to Monitor Migratory Birds Scientists from China and Russia have jointly begun monitoring cross-border migratory waterfowl to better prevent and control disease outbreaks.The program is part of an action plan to protect rare wild animals,signed by the two countries in 2012,said Wang Xiaolong,a professor with Northeast Forestry University,at a seminar in Harbin on ecological risk management and control.The program will study the health conditions and ecological safety of wild animals in Arctic circumpolar regions.It will also study the infl uence of pesticide residue and oil leaks in extremely cold sea waters on bird health.China and Russia     

Paphiopedilum

The State Postal Bureau has issued a set of four stamps picturing paphiopedilum, which is the first set of rhombus stamps ever issued in China.Paphiopedilum, a famous subgenus of the orchid family, comprises herbaceous perennials that grow in the tropical…     

TIME KEEPER

At the age of 87,Chen Zonglie,a retired photographer of Beijing Review,still has a vivid memory of the feudal past in Tibet in southwest China where people lived in inhuman conditions.He remembers the dirty bullpens where the serfs were herded for rest only at midnight and the scenes where children fought with wild dogs for scraps of food.     

Economy

Poverty Line Raised in 14 Provinces So far 17 provinces and autonomous regions set their regional poverty lines above the national level of RMB 2,300. Most of these are in the better-o East China. The poverty line has been set at RMB 4,600, for example, in Zhejiang Province, RMB 4,000 in Jiangsu Province and RMB 3,200 in Liaoning Province. The RMB 2,300     

Special Stamps: The Datong River Diversion Project

On August 26, 2001, the State Postal Bureau issued a set of four stamps picturing the Datong River Diversion Project.The Datong River Diversion Project is a large-scale water conservancy project that traverses Qinghai and Gansu Provinces. It is 884.3 kilometers in length and diverts Datong river-water, originating in the Qilian Mountains in Qinghai Province, to the Qinwangchuan area north of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province.This set illustrates four sections of the project, namely, the K…     

Yi Customary Law：Spirit of Democracy and Reconciliation

The Yi ethnic group is distributed mainly in the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and in the Longlin and Mubian areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with 25 subgroups and a total population of over seven million. Their land is home to several wild rivers surging through a perilous natural environment. The Yi were once isolated from the outside world, in particular those communities in the Greater and Lesser Liangshan Mountains.