July 2018 - Sneak Peek
The American Philatelist is the monthly journal of the American Philatelic Society, the world's largest organization for stamp collectors and enthusiasts. Members receive the printed magazine and can access the digital edition as a benefit of membership in the Society. Please enjoy this sneak peek. We're confident that once you see all that we offer, you'll want to join the APS today.
The American Philatelist is the monthly journal of the American Philatelic Society, the world's largest organization for stamp collectors and enthusiasts. Members receive the printed magazine and can access the digital edition as a benefit of membership in the Society. Please enjoy this sneak peek. We're confident that once you see all that we offer, you'll want to join the APS today.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Figure 5. Hong<br />
Kong has produced<br />
several stamps<br />
featuring dragons,<br />
including several<br />
of the stylized<br />
type: a pair of firebreathers<br />
in 1976<br />
(Scott 312-313) and<br />
a 1988 souvenir<br />
sheet of four (Scott<br />
515-518).<br />
We present an example, a 1988 souvenir sheet of four stamps, each depicting one<br />
of our serpents and each with seemingly pleasant dispositions. A dozen years<br />
earlier, in 1976, another Year of the Dragon, we find two stylized renditions of<br />
the beast.<br />
Hong Kong presents a lot of dragon images that play a more symbolic and<br />
decorative role and does that by showing dragons that are<br />
moving and grooving [Figure 6].<br />
Kites – sometimes used as a ceremonial or religious<br />
symbol – were developed in eastern cultures so it is no surprise<br />
that in China, kites depicting fierce dragons became<br />
weapons of war regarding strategy, communication and<br />
defense. What foe would dare attack a territory guarded by<br />
these blood-thirsty creatures of the sky?<br />
And, before we leave Hong Kong, we need to look at<br />
one more set of stamps, a souvenir sheet commemorating the 1985 Dragon Boat<br />
Races. Although not depicting our main character per se, this sheet still fits nicely<br />
into a topical collection because of the style of watercraft used and depicted.<br />
According to the sheet:<br />
“In the past fishing communities competed each year in dragon boat<br />
races to commemorate the patriotism of<br />
Chu Yuen, a Chinese poet, who drowned<br />
himself in a river in protest against a corrupt<br />
government in the fourth century<br />
B.C. The dragon boat races of today attract<br />
a wide international field and have become<br />
one of the most colorful festivals in Asia.”<br />
When Qu Yuan (alternate spelling) drowned himself in<br />
the Mi Lo River, the townspeople beat drums and threw<br />
glutinous rice dumplings called “zongzi” into the water<br />
to dissuade fish from dining on his body. Today, this<br />
event is memorialized by Chinese people around the<br />
world who eat zongzi and either go swimming or dip<br />
their hands into bodies of water. Known as the Tuen<br />
Ng Festival, the Dragon Boat Race, using 30-foot boats<br />
with crews of 20 paddlers, is one of the highlights of<br />
this celebration.<br />
Next, we’re off to Southeast Asia and the country<br />
of Malaysia to take a look at a 2012 miniature sheet<br />
Figure 6. A Hong Kong souvenir sheet of<br />
four in 1985 showed a dragon boat, with<br />
the dragon image at the bow (Scott 443). A<br />
stamp featuring a dragon kite (Scott 833a)<br />
was part of a kites strip of four in 1998.<br />
Figure 7. By including<br />
its selvage, this 2012<br />
stamp from Malaysia<br />
is shaped like a robe.<br />
A souvenir sheet<br />
featuring the stamp<br />
commemorates<br />
the World Stamp<br />
Exhibition held in<br />
Jakarta, Indonesia.<br />
JULY <strong>2018</strong> / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 639
Change language