Name: Seeing the Small is Clarity: Sun Jiangtao's Collection of Liberated Area Stamps Exhibition
Start: 2015-04-27T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2015-06-07T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau Gallery (IACM Gallery)

Exhibition Overview

Macau collector Mr. Sun Jiangtao, a specially appointed member of the Guangdong Provincial People's Government's Research Institute of Culture and History and Vice President of the All-China Philatelic Federation, has over thirty years of experience in stamp collecting. He is dedicated to researching the characteristics, development trends, and aesthetics of traditional philately. Fifteen years ago, he began focusing on stamps from the period of China's revolutionary wars, and this exhibition showcases the precious collection preserved from that era.

Exhibition Sections (Chronological Order)

Land Revolution War Period (1927–1937): Includes stamps issued in base areas in Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, and the Central Soviet Area in Ruijin, Jiangxi. Stamps from this period were initially called "Red Stamps" and later renamed "Soviet Stamps" after the establishment of the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic.
War of Resistance Against Japan Period (1937–1945): Saw the issuance of the first set of Liberated Area commemorative stamps, "Soldiers of the War of Resistance." This stamp had no face value and was provided free for military mail. The "Tang County Provisional Postal Stamps," born nearly eighty years ago, feature simple designs, were hand-stamped with wooden seals, and used extremely crude paper and printing techniques due to wartime material constraints.
War of Liberation Period (1945–1950): Spanned from the end of World War II to the founding of the People's Republic of China, with new stamps issued across various regions. Among them, the first edition Pagoda Hill stamp issued by the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Postal Administration is a significant stamp of this period. As Yan'an was a symbol of the revolutionary sacred site, the stamp features the nine-story pagoda on Pagoda Hill in Yan'an. After its issuance, a regulation was added stating "all mail sent to this border region and other liberated areas must bear Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region stamps," marking the beginning of a postal fee system in the region.

Philosophical Insight

Chapter 52 of the Tao Te Ching states, "Seeing the small is called clarity." Laozi believed one should perceive great principles from small things. The "smallness" of stamps similarly holds the principle of seeing the larger world from minute details. Behind each tiny stamp lies unique significance, forming a treasure trove for exploring the history and culture of its time.

The stamps displayed span over twenty years, richly and rarely showcasing the history, society, and culture of China's wartime periods.