青島 Qingdao, China :)

Received in mid August 2013 via Postcrossing private swap. I’ve always wanted to visit Qingdao! It looks lovely!

 

Qingdao (Chinese: 青島; pinyin: About this sound Qīngdǎo (help·info); German: Tsingtau), historically known as Tsingtao, is a major city in eastern Shandong Province, Eastern China, with a population of over 8.715 million (2010 census). Qīng (青) in Chinese means “green” or “lush”, while dǎo (島) means “island”. Qingdao is administered at the sub-provincial level.

Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea (German: Gelbes Meer), Qingdao is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial centre. It is also the site of the Tsingtao Brewery. The world’s longest sea bridge, the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, links the main urban area of Qingdao with Huangdao district, straddling the Jiaozhou Bay sea areas. Qingdao is named China’s most livable city.

(Thanks Wiki!)

Lovely peacock stamp:

 

Keep calm & carry on :D

It’s already January 2014 but I’m still posting postcards I received in August 2013. :P Seriously lagging behind…>_< but I’ll keep calm and carry on. :P

Received in mid August 2013 via Postcrossing private swap – my 5th keep calm card. Thanks Dominique! :)

The Origin of Keep Calm & Carry On:

Keep Calm and Carry On was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 several months before the beginning of the Second World War, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the aftermath of widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities.

The poster was initially produced by the Ministry of Information, at the beginning of the Second World War. It was intended to be distributed in order to strengthen morale in the event of a wartime disaster, such as mass bombing of major cities using high explosives and poison gas, which was widely expected within hours of an outbreak of war. Over 2,500,000 copies were printed, although the poster was distributed only in limited numbers, and never saw public display.

The poster was third in a series of three. The previous two posters from the series, “Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might” and “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory” were issued and used across Britain for motivational purposes, as the Ministry of Information assumed that the events of the first weeks of the war would demoralise the population.

(Thanks Wikipedia, as usual! :P)

Lovely Belgian stamps:

Lovely triangular postmark:

Post office logos :)

Received in early August 2013 via Postcrossing official swap. Thanks Ksenia! :)

I found Hong Kong Post! :D

Lovely stamps:

廣州白雲山 Baiyun Mountain (Guangzhou, China)

Received in late July 2013 via Postcrossing private swap. Thanks Yachne! :)

白雲山 Baiyun Shan, Baiyun Mountain, or Mount Baiyun is a mountain near Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province in China officially part of the Baiyunshan Resort along with Luhu Park, Yuntai Garden, Mingchungu Scenic Area, Monxinling Scenic Area, Mingzhulou Scenic Area, Yunxi Ecological Park, and Baiyun Sculpture Park.

The name of the mountain derives from the view of peaks shrouded by white clouds in late Spring or when the sky clears after rain. Baiyun Mountain has been a scenic spot since ancient times.

The fame of the mountain dates back before the city of Guangzhou was established, when it was occasionally visited by celebrities of as early as the Warring States period (476 BC–221 BC). It had become known for its beauty in Jin Dynasty (265–420) and reputed as a tourist attraction in Tang Dynasty (618–897).

Numerous scenes on Baiyun Mountain have been named in the Eight Sights of Guangzhou (Chinese: 羊城八景) of various eras since the Song Dynasty (960–1279).  Historically, Baiyun Mountain had an abundance of scenic spots and historical sites, but few of them have survived till modern days.

Over the course of history, Baiyun Mountain have earned the titles of “Top Beauty of Guangzhou” (Chinese: 羊城第一秀) and “First Mountain of Lingnan” (Chinese: 嶺南第一名山).

(Thanks Wikipedia!)

 

A lovely stamp of 雪豹 Snow leopard!

 

1. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia) is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia.

2. The snow leopard is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as globally Endangered (EN).

3. Snow leopards occupy alpine and subalpine areas generally 3,350 to 6,700 metres (10,990 to 22,000 ft) above sea level in Central Asia. 

 

4. The global snow leopard effective population size (those likely to reproduce) is suspected to be fewer than 2,500 (50% of the total population, or 2,040–3,295).

They look so cool! >_<

Snow leopards are slightly smaller than the other big cats but, like them, exhibit a range of sizes, generally weighing between 27 and 55 kg (60 and 120 lb), with an occasional large male reaching 75 kg (170 lb) and small female of under 25 kg (55 lb).

They have a relatively short body, measuring in length from the head to the base of the tail 75 to 130 cm (30 to 50 in). However, the tail is quite long, at 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 in), with only the domestic-cat-sized marbled cat being relatively longer-tailed. They are stocky and short-legged big cats, standing about 60 cm (24 in) at the shoulder.

Snow leopards have long, thick fur, and their base colour varies from smoky gray to yellowish tan, with whitish underparts. They have dark grey to black open rosettes on their bodies, with small spots of the same color on their heads and larger spots on their legs and tails. Unusually among cats, their eyes are pale green or grey in colour.

Snow leopards show several adaptations for living in a cold, mountainous environment. Their bodies are stocky, their fur is thick, and their ears are small and rounded, all of which help to minimize heat loss. Their paws are wide, which distributes their weight better for walking on snow, and have fur on their undersides to increase their grip on steep and unstable surfaces; it also helps to minimize heat loss. Snow leopards’ tails are long and flexible, helping them to maintain their balance, which is very important in the rocky terrain they inhabit. Their tails are also very thick due to storage of fat and are very thickly covered with fur which allows them to be used like a blanket to protect their faces when asleep.

The snow leopard has a short muzzle and domed forehead, containing unusually large nasal cavities that help the animal breathe the thin, cold air of their mountainous environment.

The snow leopard cannot roar, despite possessing partial ossification of the hyoid bone. This partial ossification was previously thought to be essential for allowing the big cats to roar, but new studies show the ability to roar is due to other morphological features, especially of the larynx, which are absent in the snow leopard. Snow leopard vocalizations include hisses, chuffing, mews, growls, and wailing.

(Thanks Wikipedia!)

 

(48) Isaac from Singapore :D

My 2nd 愛 from Singapore. Thanks a lot Isaac!! :D

Lovely turtle stamp:

愛 from Singapore:

Thanks again Isaac! ^^

Tulips 鬱金香 from the Netherlands!

Finally, a tulip card from the Netherlands. :) Received in early July via Postcrossing official swap.

Time to learn more about tulips! :)

(Information found online xD Long live the Internet! :P)

Facts About Tulips

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Angiosperms

Class: Monocots

Order: Liliales

Family: Liliaceae

Genus: Tulipa

Species: 150

Type: Perennial

Varieties: 3000

Availability: November to May

Interesting facts about tulips :

1. The English word tulip is derived from a Persian word, delband, which means turban. The flower was seen as turban-shaped, hence the name.

2. Tulip is the third most popular flower in the world, next only to rose and chrysanthemum.

3. Tulips are native to Central Asia. Although they are the quintessential Dutch flower, they actually originated in Central Asia, including Turkey, where the tulip is the national flower.

4. Holland has dominated the tulip market of the world. The tulip was likely introduced to Europeans in 1554 via a gift from the Ottoman Empire. A European Ambassador was gifted seeds and bulbs, which he then passed to Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and his royal botanist, Carolus Clusius. The flower was introduced in the country by Carolus Clusius, when he was appointed as the professor of Botany, at Leiden University. By 1636, the tulip bulb was the fourth leading export for Holland — after gin, herring and cheese.

5. Tulips once crashed an economy. In the 1600s when tulips where introduced to Holland, the waxy flower became so wildly popular that an economy of trading known as tulipmania burgeoned nearly overnight.  At the peak of tulip mania, some single bulbs sold for more than ten times the annual income of a skilled craftsman. Social status began to be measured by exotic tulips! Tulip mania was short-lived however, and when it crashed so did the fortunes of many Dutch. Many economists consider tulip mania to be the first speculative bubble.

6. The tulip was once the most expensive flower in the world. At one point during the height of Europe’s tulip mania, a single Viceroy tulip bulb was purchased for two lasts of wheat, four lasts of rye, four fat oxen, eight fat swine, 12 fat sheep, two hogsheads of wine, four casks of beer, two tons of butter, a complete bed, a suit of clothes and a silver drinking cup! In the winter of 1636-37, a valuable tulip bulb could change hands ten times in a day.

7. Tulips are edible — or, at least, parts of them are. The petals are said to range in taste from “a mild bean-like taste, to a lettuce-like taste, to no taste at all.” (You should never eat petals that have been treated with chemicals.)

8. During WWII, some people in the Netherlands were forced to eat tulips because there wasn’t any other food. “Bread made from tulips is not very good … like wet sawdust” according to a Dutch man who grew up on a tulip farm during the war. (Also, part of the bulb is poisonous, apparently.)

9. Tulip Festivals are held across the world every spring. In Utah, Thanksgiving Point hosts the only Intermountain West tulip festival with over 250,000 brightly-colored tulips on display over their 55-acre garden. The Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa claims to be the biggest tulip extravaganza in the world with over 300,000 tulips on display.

• Tulip is a flower in the genus Tulipa, which comprises of about 150 bulbous species.
• Tulips come in a wide array of vibrant colors, like red, yellow, orange, purple, pink and many more.
• Tulip flowers generally have 2-6 leaves; though some species have been have to have up to 12 leaves.
• There are nearly 3000 varieties of tulips, known by various names.
• The average height of a tulip plant ranges from 10-70 centimeters.
• Tulips are available in the months of November to May only and have a life span of only 3-7 days.
• Tulips originate from mountainous areas enjoying temperate climates. They are best grown in climates having a long, cool spring and early summers.
• A well-drained, airy and loamy soil is required for the cultivation of tulips.
• Tulip flowers are considered to be a symbol of perfect lovers, their passion, love, romanticism and dreaminess.

Lovely Dutch stamps:

吃無錫 Eating in Wuxi (China)

Received in late June via Postcrossing private swap. Thanks Xiaoye! :)

As a Chinese from the north, Xiaoye prefers spicy food. She doesn’t like the Wuxi people’s habit of adding a lot of sugar in their food. Interesting to know the eating habits of Chinese people from different provinces. :D

Stamps of animals:

Keep calm and carry on shopping xD

My 3rd Keep Calm card – received in late June 2013 via Postcrossing private swap. Thanks Dominique! :>

Lovely decoration:

And lovely stamps! ^^ Oh the otter looks sad! >_<

Thanks to Dominique my Keep Calm collection is slowly growing! xD

黃鶴樓, 湖北武漢 Wuhan (China)

Received on 1 June via Postcrossing private swap. Thanks Yan! :)

黃鶴樓 (Yellow Crane Tower) really reminds me of a few classical Chinese poems I read in the past! :D

From Wikipedia:

Yellow Crane Tower is a famous and historic tower, first built in 223 AD. The current structure, however, was rebuilt in 1981 at an one kilometre distance from the original site, and bears little resemblance to the historical Yellow Crane Tower. (TOO BAD the historial building couldn’t survive the warfare in China T-T) The tower stands on Sheshan (Snake Hill), at the bank of Yangtze River in Wuchang District, Wuhan, in Hubei province of central China.

2 famous classical Chinese poems related to this building… :)  [sorry for not including English translation :P Classical poems are for experts to translate! >_<]

李白 (one of my fav Chinese poets in the Tang Dynasty!!!)

《黃鶴樓送孟浩然之廣陵》

故人西辭黃鶴樓，

煙花三月下揚州。

孤帆遠影碧空盡，

唯見長江天際流。

崔顥《黃鶴樓》

昔人已乘黃鶴去，此地空餘黃鶴樓。

黃鶴一去不復返，白雲千載空悠悠。

晴川歷歷漢陽樹，芳草萋萋鸚鵡洲。

日暮鄉關何處是，煙波江上使人愁。

Chinese stamps:

安徽合肥 Hefei (China)

Received on 25 May via Postcrossing private swap:

黃山 Huangshan, Unesco site (literally “yellow mountain“):

Beautiful mountain in a sea of mist… :)

Very surprised to see Spanish on a Chinese postcard…@@