The postcard below was sent to me in exchange for an Angkor Wat postcard. The sender contacted me directly as she was collecting UNESCO Heritage Sites postcards, to which I agreed.
Postmarked 13 Oct, 2009
This magnificent World Heritage Site, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was constructed two thousand of years ago by Qin Shi Huangdi during the Qin Dynasty, that's around 221-206 BC. The construction continued up to the Ming Dynasty, from 1368-1644, when the wall became the world's largest military structure. After a tedious but most comprehensive archaeological survey using the most advanced technologies there is, it was found out that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, spans 8,851.5kms (5,500miles).
The Great Wall, I learned, is not actually a continuous wall but a collection of small walls that often follow the crest of hills on the southern edge of the Mongolian plains. Unlike the Taj Mahal that was built out of love and romance, the Great Wall's raison d'ê·tre was purely a historical inevitability, for the defence and protection of the Emperor's territories. I can only imagine the millions of Chinese labourers (and the countless others who died during its construction) who built the Wall with their bare hands.
The Great Wall has always been the major attraction in China. When the weather is clear, the view is magnificent, as you can see in the postcard. I heard other travelers say though that the view is more stunning during the winter. Summer or winter, the wall is very postcard-pretty, don't you agree? I can almost imagine the picture of the Great Wall on the postcard could be use as picture for promotional mugs. Urban legend has it that the Great Wall can be seen from the moon. Well, friends, it is not true, what a shame.
Someday, I will see it for myself. For now, I have the postcard to imagine how massive and impressive that wall is.
Okay, stamps...
Above right, is a part of the Folk Painted Sculptures set issued in 1996. The 4-set stamps, issued in 1998, are based on the works of three generations of masters of "clay figure Zhang", each depicting exquisite workmanship and unique artistic features of the painted sculpture. This one features "Returning from Fishing" by Zhang Yuting.
The next two stamps are from the Seafloor World - Coral Reef Ornamental Fish. The set is composed of eight kinds of ornamental fishes that are found only in the South China Sea - colourful, striped, like fairies and butterflies.
The Great Wall has always been the major attraction in China. When the weather is clear, the view is magnificent, as you can see in the postcard. I heard other travelers say though that the view is more stunning during the winter. Summer or winter, the wall is very postcard-pretty, don't you agree? I can almost imagine the picture of the Great Wall on the postcard could be use as picture for promotional mugs. Urban legend has it that the Great Wall can be seen from the moon. Well, friends, it is not true, what a shame.
Someday, I will see it for myself. For now, I have the postcard to imagine how massive and impressive that wall is.
Okay, stamps...
Above right, is a part of the Folk Painted Sculptures set issued in 1996. The 4-set stamps, issued in 1998, are based on the works of three generations of masters of "clay figure Zhang", each depicting exquisite workmanship and unique artistic features of the painted sculpture. This one features "Returning from Fishing" by Zhang Yuting.
The next two stamps are from the Seafloor World - Coral Reef Ornamental Fish. The set is composed of eight kinds of ornamental fishes that are found only in the South China Sea - colourful, striped, like fairies and butterflies.
