China Collectible Stamps

The first Chinese stamps were actually printed in 1865 by the British and their colonial postal system. The British had colonists in China and so the reason stamps were printed there was so that they could send letter back to England. Eventually, this inspired other major cities in China to do the same thing, largely with international people who were living there.

China'a first national stamps were created in 1897 and was managed by Robert Hart, an Englishman. Hart set up the Chinese Imperial Post for the Chinese Imperial Customs. The first Chinese stamp were printed as the Haiguan Dalong, or also known as the Large Dragons series. The last stamp he created was in 1909, a commemorative celebrating Emperor Hsuan T'ung's first anniversary of ascending to the throne. This was Hart's last year in service. Usually, the early Chinese stamps were over-printed when celebrating major events, such as the 1893 Jubilee of International Settlement. These early stamps are highly collectible among philatelists and collectors.

In the 1930s, Japan occupied China during the beginnings of World War II. During this time, an underground postal system was developed among the Chinese communists. Stamps were still being produced, but they were crude in design during the war. The postal system was never really centralized until after the war. Normally, each region have their own stamps designed for them, usually depicting the chairman Mao Zedong and other patriotic or military themed designs.

The National Republic of China officially created their first stamps in 1945. One notable design featured Sun Yat-sen, who was the rebel leader that overthrew the Manchu dynasty. Later on in the 1950s and 1960s, Communist China continued printing more stamps featuring communist and national symbols and leaders. Some of the symbols included quotes from Mao's Little Red Book. Also, the Chinese were expected to perform exercises and gymnastics by doing poses over a radio broadcast. A 40-part collectible philatelic series of stamps depicted these poses.

In 1964, a popular stamp series was printed depicting traditional tree peonies, which were grown and used by the Chinese aristocracy. The Cultural Revolution brought about a new selection of stamp printings in the late 1960s and beyond. These included landscapes, artwork, symbols of the financial success of China, and Chinese Emperors. One system that is very popular among Chinese and others around the world is the Chinese Zodiac. In 1980, the first Chinese Zodiac stamps were issued and printed - starting with the Year of the Money.