Ramsar Cover from ROMANIA

Details:

The convention was developed and adopted by participating nations at a meeting in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran, on February 2, 1971, hosted by the Iranian Department of Environment, and came into force on December 21, 1975.

The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance now includes 2186 Sites (known as Ramsar Sites) covering over 200,000,000 ha (490,000,000 acres). The country with the highest number of Sites is the United Kingdom at 170 and the country with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Bolivia, with over 140,000 km2 (54,000 sq mi).The Ramsar definition of wetlands is fairly wide, including "areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters" as well as fish ponds, rice paddies and salt pans.

Presently there are 168 contracting parties, up from 21 initial signatory nations in 1971. The state parties meet every three years as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), the first held in Cagliari, Italy in 1980. Amendments to the original convention have been agreed to in Paris (in 1982) and Regina (in 1987).

There is a standing committee, a scientific review panel, and a secretariat. The headquarters is located in Gland, Switzerland, shared with the IUCN.

Romania has seven Ramsar sites.

Remark-Thanks my friend from Romania sending such beautiful cover

The 50th Anniversary of the First Spacewalk by Alexey Leonov FDC from RUSSIA

FDC Name:The 50th Anniversary of the First Spacewalk by Alexey Leonov
Issue Date:10th APRIL 2015
Details:

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov born 30 May 1934 in Listvyanka, West Siberian Krai, Soviet Union) is a retired Russian cosmonaut and Air Force Major General. On 18 March 1965, he became the first human to conduct extra-vehicular activity (EVA), exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for a 12-minute spacewalk.

Leonov was one of the 20 Soviet Air Force pilots selected to be part of the first cosmonaut group in 1960. Like all the Soviet cosmonauts, Leonov was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. His walk in space was originally to have taken place on the Vostok 11 mission, but this was cancelled, and the historic event happened on the Voskhod 2flight instead. He was outside the spacecraft for 12 minutes and nine seconds on 18 March 1965, connected to the craft by a 5.35-meter tether. At the end of the spacewalk, Leonov's spacesuit had inflated in the vacuum of space to the point where he could not re-enter the airlock. He opened a valve to allow some of the suit's pressure to bleed off and was barely able to get back inside the capsule. Leonov had spent eighteen months undergoing intensive weightlessness training for the mission.

Remark:Excellent FDC with nice cancellation.Thanks Limanskii E.N for such beautiful FDC after long time.

Teresa Teng FDC from TAIWAN

FDC Name:Teresa Teng
Issue date:15th APR'2015
Details:-

Teresa Teng was an influential Taiwanese singer famous throughout Asia and in Chinese communities around the world. She enthusiastically participated in concerts for ROC troops and for overseas Chinese communities, giving performances in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, and Southeast Asian nations, among other places. She was known as a “patriot performing artist,” “the military's sweetheart,” and “the queen of her generation's singers.” A powerful demonstration of musical artistry that resonated with audiences everywhere, her voice comforted countless souls. One of the true superstars of the Asian singing world in the last half of the 20th century, she helped to advance Chinese pop. On both sides of the Taiwan Strait—and in fact anywhere there are ethnic Chinese—her songs are still popular even today, nearly 20 years after her death.

In commemoration of Teresa Teng, Chunghwa Post is issuing a set of four stamps with denominations of NT$5, NT$9, NT$13, and NT$15.

This set of stamps is designed by Janny Pai and printed by Cardon Enterprise Co., Ltd. in color offset.
Remark:Beautiful FDC with set of 4stamps.Both type of the cancellation are very clear.Thanks Chen.

Chinese Classic Novel “Red Chamber Dream” FDC from TAIWAN

FDC Name:Chinese Classic Novel “Red Chamber Dream” 

Issue Date:30th MAR'2015

Details:

In 2014, Chunghwa Post issued its first set of stamps in its Chinese Classic Novel “Red Chamber Dream” series in the order of the chapters. Now it is following up with its 2015 issue of four stamps. The designs follow :

1. Daiyu Burying the Flowers (NT$5): Baoyu’s maid Qingwen refuses to open the door for Daiyu when she comes visit. Daiyu weeps in silence as she mistakenly interprets this as Baoyu’s doing. The next day, when she sees the ground carpeted with fallen petals, she is overcome with sadness again. As she gathers the fallen blossoms to be buried, she compares herself to the fallen petals and laments at her despondency and loneliness. She tearfully mourns the flowers: “The falling twirling petals fill the air, wasting away while no one cares.….” As he listens, Baoyu becomes transfixed and spellbound. 
2. Tanchun Starting a Poetry Club (NT$5): Tanchun proposes to establish a poetry club. The first business of the club is for everyone to pick an alias for themselves and to draw up the rules and penalties. Then the topics and rhyme entries are chosen before the members start to write and critique each other’s work. Parties held by the club become a fad in Daguanyuan for a while. The scenes where the girls write and chat and Baoyu jokes around highlight the Jia household’s heyday and add vitality and interest to the book. 
3. Granny Liu Touring Daguanyuan (NT$10): Granny Liu follows Grandmother Jia to Daguanyuan, where they party, row boats, and drink tea. To amuse Grandmother Jia, Sister Feng covers Granny Liu’s hair with chrysanthemums. Granny Liu goes along with her jest and plays the fool to make everyone laugh. Through Granny Liu’s touring, the author further describes the extravagant lifestyle of the Jia household, the sumptuous decor of Daguanyuan, and highlights the vivid contrast between Grandmother Jia and Granny Liu’s economic situations.
4. Miaoyu Tasting Tea (NT$25): Miaoyu comes from the gentry class. She is both fastidious and haughty. When it comes to tea, the water she uses is snow water that was collected off of plum blossoms and then buried in the ground in a pot for five years. The tea cups she uses are all valuable antiques. She hands Baochai one with the name “Calabash Cup”, Daiyu “Rhinoceros Cup”, and Baoyu her personal green jade cup. Later she swaps it with a huge goblet decorated with coiled dragon with nine curves, ten rings and 120 knots carved from a whole bamboo root. 

Remark:Nice FDC with Fan cancellation.

Chinese Idiom Stories FDC from TAIWAN

FDC Name:Chinese Idiom Stories 

Issue Date:20th MAR'2015

Details:

To enhance teenagers’ understanding of Chinese idioms and to inspire them, Chunghwa Post has issued a set of four stamps on idioms. The designs follow :

1. Bo Le Appraises the Horse (NT$5): Bo Le is the name of a constellation in charge of the heavenly stable. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), there was a man named Sun Yang that many called Bo Le because he was expert in the ways of horses. There is a legend about his search for a good horse. One day, he saw a horse struggling to pull a salt cart up a steep slope. When he approached, the horse suddenly neighed loudly. From the horse’s cry, Bo Le knew that this was the horse he was looking for, so he purchased it. After being properly cared for, the horse did indeed become a great war horse. Later, people began to call anyone who was good at scouting talent Bo Le. 
2. The Ambition of a Swan (NT$5): The Records of the Grand Historian devoted a chapter to a man named Chen She. Chen was poor when he was young and once worked as a farmhand. One day, he woefully said to his coworkers: “Let’s not forget about each other when one of us strikes it rich one day.” The others laughed and said, “You are just a hired farmhand, you will never strike it rich.” Sighing, Chen said “How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan?” The idiom compares ordinary people to sparrows, who are incapable of understanding the aspirations of a hero. Later, the idiom came to be used to describe great ambition. 
3. Adept with Both the Pen and the Sword (NT$5): In Chapter 93 of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a man beats Kong Ming at his own game. Surprised, Kong Ming inquires about him: “Who is that? How did he see through my trick?” He then was told: “His name is Jiang Wei who is very devoted to his mother. He is adept with both the pen and the sword. What’s more, he is intelligent and brave. He is a truly outstanding fellow.” The idiom “adept with both the pen and the sword” is now used to encourage people to pay attention to their work and their extracurricular skills. 
4. Tiny Blade of Grass and Spring Sun (NT$5): “The Song of the Wandering Son,” a poem by Tang dynasty poet Meng Jiao, reads as follows: “The thread in the hand of a loving mother goes into the clothes for her wandering son. She makes the stitches tight before he leaves, worrying it might be a while before he returns. How can tiny blades of grass repay the sun, however much they appreciate its warmth?” The idiom describes how children receive so much from their parents that it is hard to expect them to repay it in kind.

Remark:I am writing this blog after long gap due.In meantime I have lost contacts with many good friends who used to send me very good FDC. Only.Only one is continuing-He is one of my best philatelic friend Shi--Ching Chen from Taiwan.Many many thanks to him & looking forward for good exchange.