Saturday, October 29, 2011

140th Anniversary of Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association

Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association (referred to as Kiang Wu Charitable Association), one of the relatively large-scale charitable organizations run by the locals in Macao, was established in 1871. It has gone through three centuries of history and reached the age of 140. The purpose of the Charitable Association is to undertake charity activities, provide medical services and develop education to benefit the general public. The Charitable Association is an administrative public welfare legal entity registered with the Macao SAR Government and has subordinate organizations including Kiang Wu hospital, Kiang Wu Nursing College, Kiang Peng Middle School and social service organizations including the Kiang Wu Funeral Parlour and the Kiang Wu Mourning Garden.

As being the main body of the Charitable Association, at the time of establishment, Kiang Wu Hospital dedicated their efforts into helping the sick by using traditional Chinese medicine. At that time, natural disasters frequently took place in the mainland, which brought continuous misery upon the people in mainland China, so the directors of the Charitable Association proactively made donation to relieve the people in disasters. ln 1893, Emperor Guangxu of the
Qing Dynasty granted the Association a plaque, with “Built under the Emperor’s Order” as recognition of their contribution. In 1892, Mr. Sun Yat-sen went to Kiang Wu Hospital to undertake the post of voluntary doctor of western medicine and opened up the vanguard of western medicine. ln order to support Mr. Sun Yat-sen in connecting with the society by making use of his medical skills to declare the thoughts of democratic revolution, the Charitable Association offered great amount of funds for subsidy. During the period of the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945), Kiang Vu Hospital directly supported the frontline, by providing medical treatment to the wounded, relieving the refugees and acting as the chief of Macao Branch of “War Bond Fundraising Committee” to actively raise funds for supporting the Anti-Japanese War. After Hong Kong was occupied by the enemy, the Association also helped to evacuate a lot of intellectualists and nationalists. Kiang Vu Hospital has always been serving the comunity with the spirit of practicing medicine to help, heal and rescue those in need. Since the foundation of New China in 1949, it has been constantly walking towards modernization.
After the return of Macao to the motherland, specialized technologies began to develop rapidly. Adhering to the guideline of “patients-oriented”, the hospital emphasizes strongly on teaching and scientific research and has established cooperative relationship with several higher education institutions and medical organizations in the mainland ,Taiwan, Hong Kong as well as Macao. Furthermore, the Hospital focuses on simultaneous development in medical treatment, scientific research and teaching, which plays an important role in the medical health care of Macao citizens.

Kiang Wu Nursing College and Kiang Peng School, as subordinates to the Charitable Association, spare no efforts in promoting the salutary influence of education and constantly improving education quality. Kiang Wu Nursing College has launched various diversified courses to cultivate high-quality nursing talents for the society, whilst Kiang Peng School has gained plentiful and substantial achievements in the work of “promoting quality education and building
first-class school” and has entered the list of Macao's first-class schools. Other social services of the Charitable Association have shown remarkable improvements in the aspects of service quality, environment, etc.: and are aiming to improve further to serve the citizens.

Looking into the future, Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association which has a history of 140 years will observe the purpose of serving the society, continue with the past and open up the future, closely cooperate with the policies of the government of the special region, make reformation and innovation with new thoughts and new philosophies, walk towards the new road and make new contributions.

This set of commemorative stamps integrates the images such as the emblem, establishment stele, hoard, bronze statue of Mr. Sun Yat-sen, pictures of buildings as well as the white marble embossments, etc., indicates the deal) friendship of the Charitable Association with Mr. Sun Yat-sen, the development process of the Charitable Association closely connected with Macao history of 140 years since the establishment and consistent purpose of serving the society.

Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association

Translation: C&C - Translation Center, Ltd.

The Stamps:

The Souvenir Sheet:

The FDC with Stamps:

The FDC with Souvenir Sheet:

The Post Mark:

Dados Técnicos/Technical Data
Valor dos Selos/Stamps Value: set of four stamps of 1.50, 2.50, 3.50 and 4.50 Patacas
Valor do Bloco/Souvenir Sheet Value: 10.00 Patacas
Desenho/Design: Ng Wai Kin
Data emissão/Issue date: 28.10.2011
Impressor/Printer: Joh. Enschedé Security Print, Netherlands
Impressão/Print: Offset Lithography
Papel/Paper: Paper with Security Fibers
Picotagem/Perforation: 14  x 13¼

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Xinhai Revolution 辛亥革命

Souvenir sheets
Prestige Stamp Booklet jointly issued by Macao Post, China Post and Hong Kong Post 

The Xinhai Revolution (named for the Chinese year of Xinhai (1911), was the overthrow of China's ruling Qing Dynasty, sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, and the establishment of the Republic of China.
The revolution began with the armed Wuchang Uprising and the spread of republican insurrection through the southern provinces, and culminated in the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor after lengthy negotiations between rival Imperial and Republican regimes based in Beijing and Nanjing respectively, in 1900, the ruling Qing Dynasty decided to create a modernized army, called the "New Army". At the time, the city of Wuchang, on the Yangtze River in the province of Hubel, had the most modernized military industry, so it became the site where weapons and other military equipment for the New Army were manufactured. The revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen extensively influenced officers and soldiers of the New Army in Wuchang, and many participated in revolutionary organizations.
The uprising itself broke out largely by accident. Revolutionaries intent on overthrowing the Qing dynasty had built bombs and one accidentally exploded. This led police to investigate, and they discovered lists of revolutionaries within the New Army. At this point elements of the New Army revolted rather than face arrest. The provincial government panicked and fled. Initially, the revolt was considered to be merely the latest in a series of mutinies that had occurred in southern China, and was widely expected to be quickly put down. The fact that it had much larger implications was due to the fact that the Qing dynasty delayed acting against the rebellion, allowing provincial assemblies in many southern provinces to declare independence from the Qing and allegiance to the rebellion.
Sun Yat-sen himself had no direct part in the uprising and was traveling in the United States at the time in an effort to recruit more support from among overseas Chinese. He found out about the uprising by reading a newspaper report.
A sense of the Qing Dynasty having lost the mandate of heaven may have contributed to the revolt. Evidence of the loss of the mandate of heaven, in China, often constitutes of natural disasters, such as fires and floods. The Yangtze overflowed its banks in 1911, and the revolting troops were, of course, situated near that river. Such a flood would have had a profound psychological impact on any government officials, rebels, peas-ants, and other Chinese in the vicinity, and the flood was a notable disaster, with 100,000 fatalities.
The Qing government failed to respond for a crucial few weeks. This gave the revolutionaries time to declare a provisional government. Other provincial assemblies then joined the revolutionaries. Within a month, representatives of the seceding provinces had met to declare a Republic of China. A compromise between the conservative gentry and the revolutionaries saw Sun Yat-sen chosen as provisional president.
Leaving the brilliant impression on China modern history, the Xinhai Revolution is a great piece of political affair shocked around the world, which is the first time to flag Democracy republic on China. It overthrew the Qing dynasty and founded the Republic of China. This emancipated the people from the rule of the feudal system.



Centenary of Xinhai Revolution

Under the leading of Sun Yat-sen. a revelatory pioneer of Chinese people. Qing Dynasty ruled China for more than 260 years, was overthrown in 1911 The Autocratic Monarchy System lasting more than two thousand years was ended and a democratic republic never seen in Chinese history was founded. It is a great world-shaking event in the history of China and the world happening in 1911, the year of Xinhai in lunar calendar, therefore the revolution was called Xinhai Revolution.

In order to celebrate the Centenary of Xinhai Revolution, Macao Post issues four commemorative stamps and one souvenir sheet. The themes on the four stamps are “Revolutionary Preparation”, “Permanent Heroism”, “Wuchang Uprising” and “Foundation of the Republic of China” respectively and the theme on the souvenir sheet is “Recovery of China”.

Revolutionary Preparation

After a long term gestation and preparation, Xintiai Revolution took Hong Kong and Macao as centers for command and planning, funds collection, ammunition purchase and production, contacts of revolutionary comrades at home and abroad and shelter for revolutionaries after failure of uprising.

Gao Jianfu (1879 1951), one of the founders of Lingnan Chinese Painting. He served as Chairman with the Chinese Revolutionary League (Tongmenghui) of Guangdong Branch, and he established the League of Macao Branch in 1911 at No.41, Nanwan Street (Avenida da Praia Grande). He joined the famous Huanghuagang Uprising and Guangzhou campaign, and died in Macao on 22 June 1951.

Permanent Heroism

The martyrs who joined the Huanghuagang Uprising in Guangzhou, China on 27 April 1911 were buried in Huanghuagang Mausoleum of 72 Martyrs.
Huang Xing (1874 - 1916), genealogical name: Keqiang. He launched the Huanghuagang Uprising in Guangzhou in 1911. After the Wuchang Uprising broke out he became as Commander-in-chief in Time of War. He died of constant overwork in 1916. Zliang Taiyan gave an elegiac couplet indicating: “No Republic can be founded without him. He must be remembered for ever”.

Wuchang Uprising

Gate of Wuchang Uprising is lhe place where the first gua was triggered off the Wuchang Uprising and the ancient city tower named Harmony Gate (Zhonghe Men) was renamed as Uprising Gate (Qiyi Men).

Xiong Bitigkun (1885 - 1969), from Jiangxia, Hubei Province. He served as Chief Representative of Gongjinhui in the 8° battalion of the 8th town of Hubei warlord where he recruited about 200 revolutionaries in secrecy. Before the Wuchang Uprising on 10 October 1911, when a solder named Cheng Dingguo fired and killed an officer of Qing army, he whistled to gather the soldiers immediately, declaring the formal uprising and then he led the army to occupy Chuwangtai armory. Afterwards revolutionaries in armies inside and outside Wuchang rose up one after another. After the revolutionaries controlled three cities in Wuhan, the people in other provinces rose up as well arid the Qing Dynasty was overthrown.

Foundation of lhe Republic of China

On 29 December 1911, through the joint decision of representatives from 17 provinces. Sun Yat-sen was elected as Provisional President. On 22:00, 1 January 1912, Sun Yat-sen acceded to Provisional President in Nanjing and changed the title of the dynasty into the “Republic of China” and the year 1912 was declared to be the first year of the Republic of China.

The office of Provisional President Sun Yat-sen was located at the west of Xii Yuan, 292 Changjiang Road, Nanjing, which was a parlor formerly constructed by Duan Fang. governor-general of Qing Dynasty.

Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan) (1866 - 1925), big name: Wen, genealogical name: Deining, baptized name: Rixin. Japanese name: Nakayarna Sho.

Though he served as President for 91 days only, he established and issued more than 30 governmental decrees which would be beneficial to the development of democratic politics, national capital and cultural education and he was worth to be the pioneer of bourgeois revolution and a great revolutionist of democratic revolutionary.

Recovery of China

Suit Yat-sen attached great importance to the design of stamps when serving as Provisional President, and called Chengyu, Secretary of Traffic Department and Tang Wenqi of Commissioner of Posts and Telecommunications Department and so on to make careful study on the design of commemorative stamps for national foundation and determined to terminate the datemark of “Heavenly Stems” and “Earthly Branches”, and adopt the postal datemark of the Republic of China. In late 1912, the commemorative stamps of recovery and republic carrying design of head portrait of Sun Yat-sen and Yuan Shikai was published respectively.

Sun Yat-sen liked writing “The world belongs to the public” as gift. The phrase was abstracted out of “Liji - Liyun”: “A public spirit will rule all under the sky when the great way prevails”, Mr. Sun Yat-sen thought: “Equality and freedom are rights of citizens, however officeholders shall be public servants for the citizens”. He swore before serving as Provisional President: “Solidify the Republic of China, create happiness for the people, which are what the people want, I should abide by the tenet, loyal to my country and serve the people”. Sun Yat-sen introduced the concepts of “serve the people” and “public servant” to China’s politics which refresh everyone.

On 10 January 1912, the Provisional Senate passed a special decision to adopt the Five-Colored Republic Flag (or Five-Colored Flag) as national flag, which means a Republic for nationalities as Han, Manchus, Mongols, Hui and Tibetan.

The Eighteen-Star Flag, the full name is Blood Eighteen-Star Flag. it was a flag declared for the establishment of Hubei Military Government after Wuchang Uprising. ln the second day of Wuchang uprising, the Military Government planned to declare the foundation of the Republic of China with the Blood Flag as revolutionary flag. On May 1921, after Sun acceded to Extraordinary President, he declared to abolish the Five-Colored Flag and Blood Flag and replace them with a flag of “Blue Sky with a White Sun”.

Author: Yin Degang

Translation: C&C - Translation Centre. Ltd.

Acknowledgement: photos of Huang Xing, Sun Yat sen (Provisional President), Gate of Wuchang Uprising, the Office of Provisional President in Nanjing and the Swear of Provisional President Sun Yan-sen.

The Stamps:

The Sheetlet:

The Souvenir Sheet:

The FDC with Stamps:

The FDC with Souvenir Sheet:

The Post Mark:

Dados Técnicos/Technical Data
Valor dos Selos/Stamps Value: set of four stamps of 1.50, 2.50, 3.50 and 4.50 Patacas
Folhas Miniatura com quatro séries/Minisheets with four sets of stamps
Valor do Bloco/Souvenir Sheet Value: 10.00 Patacas
Desenho/Design: Wong Leung Chung
Data emissão/Issue date: 10.10.2011
Impressor/Printer: Beijing, PSPH
Impressão/Print: Offset Lithography
Papel/Paper: Paper with Security Fibers
Picotagem/Perforation: 13 x 13.33

Monday, October 17, 2011

Historic Figures and Macao

Macao is a small territory, the area of the peninsula may only be six or seven square kilometers and the total area of the peninsula plus that of the two offshore islands is only about twenty square kilometers. However, the unique geographical conditions and superior humanity environment provide outstanding figures with a piece of land for life and work and make numerous elites leave clear footprints in Macao. They stayed long or provisionally resided or lingered or stopped on the way for a rest. Because of all kinds of chances and experiences, they had close relation with Macao, generated important influences on such small city and became the rich, colorful and increasingly new collective memory of the people of Macao.

Macao not only has “Historic Center” universally acknowledged by the world, hut also has globally well-known “historic figures”. Macao is not only a city for tourism and gambling, hut also a famous city with historic culture. Such “family property” of great honor, becomes the disposition gene full of pride, awe and veneration of the people of Macao, on the other hand, even constantly arouses historic introspection and modern consideration for the need of opening up and forging ahead in the extraordinarily rapid era reform. While the main idea of such introspection and consideration is how to fuilher explore the cultural resources of Macao, highlight the spirits, meritorious service and great achievement of the historic figures, absorb nutrients, extract the wisdom and purify the soul among them, carry them forward and share them with the whole world.

Therefore, Macao Post especially launches an issue with the theme “Historic Figures and Macao” including a set of four stamps and one souvenir sheet. On the four stamps. the head portraits of four historic figures are respectively printed: Lin Zexu, a national hero in Chinese modern history, personally patrolled in Macao in the great anti-opium movement, his determined steps shocked China and foreign countries: Ye Ting, an army commander of the New Fourth Army in China with fame based on military exploits spreading far away, considered Macao as his “second hometown” and spent the quietest six years of his life in Macao: Xian Xinghai, a “great and strong” musician, who praises the Chinese nation by “The Yellow River Cantata” of great momentum, was horn in the family of a mariner as a true “son of Macao”: Ho Yin, an industrial and commercial giant, famous social activist and philanthropist who made distinguished contributions to the construction of Macao and his motherland was a typical person who loved the motherland and Macao.

The souvenir sheet with the forms “repeated chapter” for historic elites with the repeatedly appearing micro head portraits of the above figures as the background: the black-and-white half-length portraits of the four historic figures overprinted at the lower right corner, from the shallower to the deeper, arranged in sequence, indicate the memory of long and short time: for the stamp at the upper left, on the top of the head portraits of the ligures, the golden lotus is blossoming under the shining of five stars, which even reflects the lofty value judgment on the historic figures by Macao that has walked into new era.

With these tiny pieces, they fully carry deep and strong affection of the people of Macao: may the historic figures having made distinguished contributions to China and Macao and their spirits spread to further time and space.

Author: Lei Kun Teng

Translal ion: C&C — Translation Center. Ltd.

The Stamps:

The Sheetlet:

The Souvenir Sheet:

The FDC with Stamps:

The FDC with Souvenir Sheet:

The Post Mark:

Dados Técnicos/Technical Data
Valor dos Selos/Stamps Value: set of four stamps of 1.50, 2.50, 3.50 and 4.50 Patacas
Folhas Miniatura com quatro séries/Minisheets with four sets of stamps
Valor do Bloco/Souvenir Sheet Value: 10.00 Patacas
Desenho/Design: Carlos Marreiros
Data emissão/Issue date: 09.10.2011
Impressor/Printer: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei, Austria
Impressão/Print: Offset Lithography
Papel/Paper: Paper with Security Fibers
Picotagem/Perforation: 13¾ x 13¾

Sunday, October 16, 2011

25th Macao International Music Festival

Time flies, and, though it’s hard to imagine, the Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) celebrates its 25 anniversary on October. Over the past quarter century, the Festival has unfailingly delivered a tasteful annual offering of the highest quality music, walking the path of internationalization while promoting local culture and creating an event that has become a unique artistic asset for the Land of the Lotus. The Festival’s programming principles have shaped it into an outstanding example of Macao’s harmonious and refined integration of past and present and the Chinese and Western cultures.

As one of the Region’s grandest cultural happenings, the MIMF not only elevates the city to international aesthetic standards, it is an event warmly welcomed and widely acclaimed by music aficionados both at home and abroad. Today, the Festival has become a showcase for Macao’s very own cultural image. as well as a stage for exchange and dialogue between the most talented players in the international arts arena.

To welcome the arrival of the Festival’s Silver Jubilee. Macao Post has released a special commemorative stamp set, which includes stamps. souvenir sheet and postmark.

The four stamps feature a keyboard. a trumpet. a drum and sttings against a white, webbed background. conveying interaction between the various musical i nstniments.

Set against a grey field, the souvenir sheet’s uneven black lines suggest clear and rapid rhythm. establishing a vivid, attractive mood.

The postmark is comprised of uneven vertical black lines with varying degrees of density forming the number ‘25”. signifying the 25th anniversary of the Macao International Music Festival.

Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government

The Stamps:

The Sheetlet:

The Souvenir Sheet:

The FDC with Stamps:

The FDC with Souvenir Sheet:

The Post Mark:

Dados Técnicos/Technical Data
Valor dos Selos/Stamps Value: set of four stamps of 1.50, 2.50, 3.50 and 4.50 Patacas
Folhas Miniatura com quatro séries/Minisheets with four sets of stamps
Valor do Bloco/Souvenir Sheet Value: 10.00 Patacas
Desenho/Design: Cultural Affairs Bureau (Victor Hugo Marreiros, Leong Chi Hang)
Data emissão/Issue date: 09.10.2011
Impressor/Printer: Joh. Enschedé Security Print, Netherlands
Impressão/Print: Offset Lithography
Papel/Paper: Paper with Security Fibers
Picotagem/Perforation: 14  x 13¼
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