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70th Anniversary of China-Slovakia Diplomatic Relations (maximum cards)(set of two)
One might think this was an odd topic for a set of maximum cards, but here it is nevertheless: a set of two cards jointly issued by PR China (set MC-123) and Slovakia in October 2019, with two different dates on the respective Chinese and Slovak stamps. Unused. Grade: 1
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Ancient Thinkers (II) (maximum cards)(set of six)
Our scan shows the cardboard cover and two of the six (otherwise unused) cards in this set MC-124 from China National Philatelic. (The other four cards are in a similar style.) Cards are captioned in Chinese only, and have QR Codes for your further enlightenment. Grades: 1
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140th Anniversary of Large Dragon Stamps (folio) – cover
Issued by China National Philatelic in 2018, this item measures 7″ x 10-1/4″ when folded. It opens to reveal four panels, so it is 28″ long when fully extended. This scan shows you the cover, with the orange sleeve off to the side. Remove the sleeve and open the folio. Each panel contains something different: three FDCs, and one postcard bearing a serial number (see our entry 20307933B). The back of the postcard is blank and the postage on the card is pre-printed. Grade: 1
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140th Anniversary of Large Dragon Stamps (folio) – postcard
See our entry 20307933A for explanation.
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7th CISM Military World Games, Wuhan 2019 (Maximum Cards) (set of 4)
These four (unused) cards, issued in October 2019, come in a cardboard cover with holographic sticker. We cannot help but observe that they must have breathed a sigh of relief (so to speak) that the Games ended when they did, despite Covid controversies. Two sets are available. Grade: 1
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The View of God: China
Mailed in 2020 with four different stamps and clear postmark. Grade: 1
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Speed of China! CRH
CRH in this case means China Railway High-speed, and this 4-1/8″ x 7-1/4″ card is one of theirs. It’s on thick paper stock, and with four different stamps and two clear and full Guangzhou postmarks, it would be an iconic addition to a collection of railroad postcards. Grade: 1
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Nagqu (Tibet), A city of festive tents
Yes, that’s the English half of the bilingual caption on this 1992 unused card issued by the PRC with pre-printed postage matching the card’s main picture. Grade: 1
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Wenzhou, school garden
This may be the largest number of different stamps (7) we’ve ever seen on a postcard, and the postmark over just one of them is a brilliant, clear red. You’ll need to know Chinese to make out the caption, but Wenzhou is one of those large Chinese cities you don’t know: a port and industrial city in Zhejiang Province, straddling the Oujiang River, on the East China Sea. Grade: 1
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23rd Olympic Games, Women’s Platform Diving
Maybe lesser-known among Olympics postcards, but a simple example issued by the Chinese Government “In commemoration of gold medals won by China at the 23rd Olympic Games”. Postmarked August 1984, with pre-printed coloured postage. The reverse is blank. Grade: 1
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The World of Meilin: Chinese Zodiac Signs (set of 12)
A famous and accomplished artist, though you may not know the name, Han Meilin ( 韩美林) has a resume far longer than our arms, and has added this unused set of 12 postcards, issued by China Post, to it. We do not know what the cards look like because they are still shrink-wrapped and in their original cardboard cover, which as you see does not give many clues. Grade: 1
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Ancient Towns (Maximum Cards) (set of 4)
Issued by China National Philatelic Co., Ltd., in 2022, this is unused set MC(E)-23. The artwork is remarkable, and it’s a desirable set of maximum cards. Grade: 1
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Fight against the Epidemic (set of 32)
These are notable. Very much so. The unused set (with pre-printed postage) came from China Post in 2020, and we’re showing you two cards as well as the front cardboard cover as examples. All 32 cards in the set have the same serial number. This will be an historical reference, however oblique, to Covid for many years. Grade: 1
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Guilin, Pagoda Hill
Mailed several years ago with two different stamps and partial postmark, the sticker and abrasions make this card a space-filler only. Grade: 5
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Back Lake in the Summer Palace
Mailed in 1981, with stamp and postmark and a prominent thumbtack hole. Grade: 4
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Xinjiang (set of 30, and seven singles)
Sorry for the unruly scan but it was all we could manage. This entire lot includes one unopened, original wrapped set of what we believe to be 30 cards based on thumbnail shots on the back cover. As well, seven individual cards we believe came from a second, identical set. The only problem with these wonderful pictures is that the cards themselves have no captions in any language. The only identification is on the unopened set’s cardboard cover — in Chinese only. (Google Translate can handle that for you.) Grade for all eight items — the seven singles and one full set: 1.
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Damo (A)
First, some Wikipedia information about the subject: “Bodhidharma was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and is regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to a 17th-century apocryphal story found in a manual called Yijin Jing, he began the physical training of the monks of Shaolin Monastery that led to the creation of Shaolin kungfu. He is known as Dámó in China … Little contemporary biographical information on Bodhidharma is available, and subsequent accounts became layered with legend and unreliable details. According to principal Chinese sources, Bodhidharma came from the Western Regions, either Central Asia or the Indian subcontinent, and is described as either a ‘Persian Central Asian’ or a ‘South Indian […] the third son of a great Indian king.’ Throughout Buddhist art, Bodhidharma is depicted as an ill-tempered, large-nosed, profusely-bearded, wide-eyed non-Chinese person. He is referred to as ‘The Blue-Eyed Barbarian’ (碧眼胡).” We know that’s a lot to take in but this and the following card are also unusual, unused, and issued officially by China Post. The QR Code will likely tell you even more. Grade: 1
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Damo (B)
See previous card 20307963 for a complete explanation. This one, not the same, is also unused. Grade: 1
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An Ancient Rare Tree
This unusual unused postcard hides all its secrets in plain sight. To start, the card measures 4″ x 7-1/4″. Our header is the card’s caption, on front and reverse. But there’s more, in faint letters, and we will put it all here: “The Latin name of this tree is Morus cathayana Hemsl. It lives on Guanxin Slope, 1200 meters above sea level, and has witnessed a history of over 700 years. Greetings from Mt. Emei, a World Heritage site.” This is an official China Post card and had an uncancelled stamp affixed at point of origin. All we can suggest is that the Chinese Government should not tell anyone exactly where the tree is. Grade: 1
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Ligou Garden
Elements of previous card 20307965 are the same here: unused, stamped, official, Mt. Emei, Greetings, and World Heritage — and measuring 4″ x 7-1/4″. In this case, as the old saying goes, the card’s caption takes the cake: “Ligou Garden, or the Dirt-free Garden, sits among the trees in Fuhu Temple (“Tiger Taming Temple”). Nearly no dead leaf would ever fall on the roofs of the garden because of its unique architectural designs. This is considered a wonder in the world history of architecture.” Either that, or a clean-up squad appears in the middle of the night to exact its own wonders. Grade: 1
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Hengli (set of 12)
Published by China Post, and with pre-printed colour postage, the 12 unused cards in this 2009 set are captioned entirely in Chinese. Our scan shows the front cardboard cover, the front of one card, and the back of another. Grade: 1
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Nan Chang (set of 10)
These 10 unused cards — artwork, not photographs — come in a cardboard cover whose front you see in our scan. (That design is also on one of the postcards.) Captioned in Chinese only, so your Google Translate will get a workout. Grade: 1
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50th Anniversary of China/Spain Diplomatic Relations (Maximum Cards) (set of 2)
Issued by China Post as Maximum Card set MC-134, these two cards are distinctly Chinese notwithstanding the Spanish stamp on one of them. Unused. Grade: 1
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Shen Zhen City (Set of 10)
An unused set of 10 cards — detailed artwork, not photographs — showing various scenes around the city. The set has a cardboard cover, which itself has thumbnail shots of each card. Grade: 1
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The Great Wall at Badaling
When it’s a night view like this, you don’t see the many thousands of people and vendors surrounding the area. We’ve already commented that, for a few renminbi more, it’s much better to go to the Mutianyu entrance further north. This postcard was not postally used but has a message covering the reverse. Grade: 4
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50th Anniversary of China-Spain Diplomatic Relations (Maximum Cards) (set of 2)
Issued as set MC-134 by China Philatelic in 2023, both cards feature flamingos but one is stamped and postmarked as China, while the other, naturally, represents Spain. Grade: 1
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National Archaeological Site Park (Maximum Cards) (set of 4)
Here is China National Philatelic’s 2023 set MC-137 of four maximum cards showing (and identifying in Chinese) various archaeological artifacts. Our scan shows the front of the cardboard cover at the lower right, and three of the four cards. Grade: 1
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Innovation in Science and Technology (IV) (Maximum Cards) (Set of 5)
The cardboard cover for this set of five maximum cards appears in the top right of our scan, along with most of three of those five cards. It’s China National Philatelic set MC-138 from 2023, and the cards show experimental rice, the Mars Rover, a cosmic ray observatory, a satellite, and … artificial starch. Definitely an outer-space theme. Grade: 1
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23rd Olympic Games, Weightlifting in 52kg Class
You might refer back to our entry 20307940 for a similar card (different sport) but otherwise identical description, which we’ll repeat here: Maybe lesser-known among Olympics postcards, but a simple example issued by the Chinese Government “In commemoration of gold medals won by China at the 23rd Olympic Games”. Postmarked August 1984, with pre-printed coloured postage. The reverse is blank. Grade: 1
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Lhasa (Tibet), Holy City, Pilgrimage Road Set
This is an unopened set of cards, in the original cello-wrap, showing what may be 30 scenes of Potala Palace and other notable sights in and around Lhasa. We base our estimate of 30 cards on the 30 thumbnail shots on the reverse of the cardboard cover, which we will scan and e-mail to you if you are interested. All text on the outer cover is in Chinese. Grade: 1
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Qinling Mountains (Maximum Cards) (Set of 9)
Set MC-139 of nine maximum cards from China National Philatelic, issued in 2024 and captioned entirely in Chinese, all in a sort of plastic sleeve. You can see one of the cards here. QR codes and bar codes may help you decipher the details. As mountain postcards go, this is really a very nice set. The Qinling (秦岭) or Qin Mountains, formerly known as the Nanshan (“Southern Mountains”), are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province, and mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow River systems, providing a natural boundary between North and South China. Grade: 1
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Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Emperor Shihuang’s Mausoleum (Set of 5)
Our scan shows you one of the five cards, and most (not all) of the cardboard cover for this set TP43, issued by China Post and fully captioned in English and Chinese. Each card has a different, pre-printed, coloured stamp somewhat matching the main photo. AND, each card has an individual (i.e., for the set) serial number: this set is #0029924. Grade: 1
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Mogao Grottoes (Maximum Cards) (Set of 4)
From Wikipedia (edited): “The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, form a system of 500 temples, 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the center of Dunhuang, on the Silk Road, in Gansu province. The caves may also be known as the Dunhuang Caves; however, this term is also used as a collective term to include other Buddhist cave sites in and around that area, such as the Western Thousand Buddha Caves, Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves, Yulin Caves, and Five Temple Caves. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art, spanning a period of 2,000 years.” Our scan shows parts of the four cards, issued by China National Philatelic in 2024 as set MC-140, and the cardboard cover. Grade: 1
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Joint PRC/France Issue (Set of 2) (Maximum Cards)
From 2024, a 2-card set published from the PRC side, with one stamped and postmarked in Chinese and the other in French. Officially, it’s China Post’s set MC-141. Grade: 1
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Huangshan views (Set of 6)
This is an unopened set of six unused cards, all with coloured pre-printed postage, from China Post. They originated from the Huangshan Huaxu Tourism Culture and Creative Co., and while we have not seen all six views, one is of the Wenshu Temple, and one Chinese line translates as “Jieshi Strange Pine Trees are Even Stranger”. We don’t doubt that. Grade: 1
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Qi Baishi (Set of 4)
Qi Baishi, a Hunan native, was a master of Chinese painting, calligraphy, and seal engraving in 20th-century China. This (unused) China Post set TP-44 of four cards, with coloured pre-printed postage, displays his work: our scan shows the cover and one of those cards. Somewhat exceptionally, there’s an extensive English explanation. Grade: 1
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Walking in Kuan Alley and Zhai Alley (set of 12)
Kuan (alternatively: Kwan) Alley and Zhai Alley get combined into one name for touristic purposes, and connote different eras to different people. As a single street loaded with shops and restaurants, especially at night it’s an unbeatable attraction in the middle of Chengdu. Our scan shows you the artwork on the cover of this set of 12 unused cards, but the cards are photos, mostly of historical sites that predated the shops. Grade: 1
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Meeting You in Cheng Du
Unused card in its original cello-wrap sleeve. Grade: 1
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Chengdu Impression (set of many)
This is an unused, unopened (in cello-wrap) set of items in a small (4″ x 5-3/4″) plastic box. The back of the sleeve shows tiny thumbnails of what the circular front logo promises: “15 postcards, 1 PVC postcard, 1 Fragrance card, 6 Stamp stickers, 5 Material photocards …” and while we cannot verify this, we have no reason to doubt it even if we don’t know what those are. Grade: 1