Mail Labels

Sometimes I forget to take a picture of the mail labels. And some of them deserve it!

China

Estonia

Germany

Hungary

United States

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Illustrated Places

Thursday Postcard Hunt is dedicated to Illustrations this week. Have not you noticed that lately, finding illustrated postcards when you travel is easier than finding traditional photos? Which ones do you prefer?

Qibao Old Street is located in Qibao Ancient Town, Minhang District, Shanghai. The entire street boasts a rich variety of local snacks and antique architecture. Qibao Ancient Town, like many other ancient towns in the Taihu Lake region of southern China, is a picturesque town within a city, and also the closest ancient town to downtown Shanghai. Qibao originated in the Later Han Dynasty, developed in the early Song Dynasty, and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, boasting a history of over 1000 years. As a historically important town known as Songdu, Qibao possesses a profound cultural heritage.

The Tudor Gatehouse. The Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great (Smithfield, London). From the COVID lockdown sketchbook of Peter Delaney.

Stable Yard. Hatfield House (the UK).

Cass Art. Hamspead (London, UK). Illustrated by Nina Cosford.

Minster Church, Thanet (UK).

Ohio (USA).

Postcards sent by Yingzhen (China), Laura (the UK) and Heleen-Phillip (the Netherlands-USA).

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Water & Moon

The Water and Moon Guanyin Bodhisativa (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, USA). Received from China through the Postcrossing site.

Thursday Postcard Hunt is dedicated to Sculptures or statues this week. You are welcome to share your postcards!

Women on Postcards | C Is for Chinese Colourful Couple

Postcard sent by Lynn (China), through the Postcrossing site.

[Women on Postcards - 2026]

Sunday Stamps | Mountains & Volcano

Piton de la Fournaise (='Peak of the Furnace') is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island, a French overseas department and region, in the Indian Ocean. With a height of 2621, it is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, along with Kīlauea in the Hawaiian Islands, Stromboli and Etna in Italy and Mount Erebus in Antarctica. Stamp issued in 2025.

1993 stamp featuring mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest in the Changbai Mountains. Most of ithe peaks of this mountain range exceed 2,000 m in height. The second stamps, from 2000, features Shibao mountain, in Dali (Yunnan Province). It is 3038 m high. 

1984 stamp featuring Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon, Canada. The Reserve includes the highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan (5,959 metres).

2026 stamp honouring the 150th anniversry of Colorao Statehood. It features a photograph of Jagged Mountain, located in the Weminuche Wilderness area of the San Juan National Forest. 

Inside this envelope sent by Phillip (USA), there was a postcard with a map of the state of Colorado, the shape of which has always fascinated me.

Today you can see more Mountains on stamps going to Sunday Stamps.

Mail Labels from China

Swallows Cutting Through Willow Branches in Spring

Four Seasons is a set of special stamps issued by China Post on March 20, 2017 [...]. The full set consists of 4 stamps. The first stamp is titled Swallows Cutting Through Willow Branches in Spring. It depicts spring scenery: gentle breezes caress the air, willow branches sway on both riverbanks, a group of children fly kites, and swallows dart back and forth, brimming with vibrant life.

(Information taken from this site)

Sunday Stamps | F Is for Fruits

Kidney Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
Turkey, 2018

Cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccos)
Russia, 2022

Teenage boy eating apple
 (Changing tastes in Britain)
UK, 2005

Stamp Day 2011
France, 2011

Mango & Orange
Fruits (Series 3)
China, 2018

Apricots
Fruits (Series 2)
China, 2016

Go to Sunday Stamps to enjoy more F- stamps today!

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Reflections on Water

Hansestadt, Hamburg. Sent by Hakan (Germany).

Fenghuang (China). Sent by Yiukee

L'Ampolla (PC). Sent by R.

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
January theme: LIGHT

• Week 1 - Sunshine
• Week 2 - Reflections
• Week 3 - Snowy scenes
• Week 4 - Lights in windows
• Week 5 - Light, or bright, colours

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Good People Meet

Last month, I received this postcard through the Postcrossing site. It had traveled from China for 72 days! There were nice stamps on the back, but no explanation. The message was simply "Happy Postcrossing", wihthout names.

After registering it, I looked at the sender's profile and saw that the same postcard had been sent several times:

I felt curious about the picture. An online translator told me that the words on top mean something like "Good People Meet" (It looks like a good slogan for Postcrossing, doesn't it?). After further researching, I found out that this kind of images are made in Yunnan by Bai people, using old wood engraving techniques.

You can read more here and here, for instance I do not know how accurate the information is, but the pictures are wonderful!

Angry Machine

I got this postcard from China through the Postcrossing site. It shows, according to online translators, the Orange Island bridge in the city of Meili Xingcheng. 

There are always many special details in mail that travels from so far away. On the back of this postcard, the commitment of the postal machine surprised me!

Chinese Hwamei (Garrulax canorus)
New Year Greetings stamps
2011

The Great Wall (Ming dynasty), Yumenguan
2016

(Printed on the postcard)

Enigmatic Postcards

I have got this postcards through the Postcrossing site, from China and Russia. No clues on the back. I have used online tools to read them... but certain degree of mystery remains!

Spring Is Coming

(By train?)

Postcard sent by Yaya-Zhang (China), via Postcrossing.

Five Blessings

I found online an explanation of the stamp:

The Chinese character "Fu" (meaning "blessing") is used to express people's longing for a happy life and their wish for a better future. Against the simple white background of the stamp, the four bats (the Chinese character for bat is the same as the Chinese character for blessing) combined with the golden character "Fu" in the middle of the stamp cleverly express the meaning of "five blessings come to your door".

Sunday Stamps | Round Patterns

Now that I have got the $1 stamp, I realise that, actually, "the designs become more complex as the denominations rise" (from the USPS site). What a clever design!

More stamps showing beautiful patterns, from the USA and China:

You will find more at Sunday Stamps!