Qipao, Diana, Go F youself and the Terracotta warriors

Funny enough, since last year, I was planning to write a post about some of the interesting stamps I have in hand. I kept on putting it off because I couldn't find one that my brother gave me. Last month I finally found it, it was hidden inside a red envelope that I had never thought of checking. Then @mipiano announced the February topic in the Hive Collection community was postage stamps, perfect timing for my post!

Qipao stamp from Hong Kong

This is the missing stamp from my brother, it's part of a set issued in 2107 on the evolution of qipao, a traditional dress that became popular in the 1920s. The qipao is a body hugging dress (but not tarty), usually sleeveless or short sleeves, shin length with side slits to accentuate the female body's elegance. You need a good figure to wear it gracefully. This particular HK$20 (USD2.5) sheetlet is special because the outline of the stamp, should one decide to use it, is in the outline of the qipao. But more importantly, it's printed on taffeta paper giving it a smooth silky fabric feel.

Princess Diana stamps from UK

Deceased first wife of our current King, and mother of our future King, Princess Diana was probably the most photographed woman in the world when she was alive. Gen Z probably won't know who she is, and paparazzi chasing after celebrities may seem a norm nowadays. Back in the 90s paparazzi were at their worst, hounding over Princess Diana's every move, nothing was off limits to them to get the photo they wanted. It's fair to say the paparazzi contributed to the death of Princess Diana.

Princess Diana's death shocked the world, particularly in the manner she died. I can still remember where I was when the news came through. This set of stamps was issued in memory of her death and features a special postmark. My sister sent it to me when it was first released.

Go fxxk yourself stamp from Ukraine

Back in 2022 when Russia first invaded Ukraine, they bombed Snake Island, a rocky island less than 1 sqm, but of strategic importance due to its location. The Russians demanded the Ukrainian forces surrender, and their response was "Russian warships, go fxxk yourself". Bravo, don't let the bullies win!! This became a famous incident and a message to the world on how determined the Ukrainians are to defend their country. The Ukrposhta issued a set of stamps about this incident, which I understand were very hard to get. Luckily my good friend @zirochka managed to get a set, you can read about it here. When we met in HiveFest in Amsterdam, @zirochka gave me one of these precious stamps 💑 Three years on, the war is still ongoing. The war needs to stop, go fxxk yourself back in Russia Putin!!!

The terracotta warriors from United Nations

This set of stamps is quite special because I got it from a previous visit to the United Nations in USA many moons ago.

The booklet talks about the history of the terracotta army in China, a burial site that remained undiscovered for over 2000 years till 1974. The army consists of around 8000 life sized soldiers, each unique with a different appearance and fully armed. They were built by China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang, a controversial figure who united China into one country, standardised language, weight and measure, built roads and canals and the great wall of China to protect his empire. In his quest to protect his empire, he also buried scholars and burnt books, and sought for immortality, hence the terracotta army to protect him in afterlife.

There are 6 sets of stamps in this booklet, each set has four stamps have United Nations printed on them instead of a country name. If you ever have a chance to go to the United Nations, stamps are a very unique memorabilia to purchase.

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Some of you may know I did a postcard experiment in the past, where I offered to send postcards out to people from Taiwan. I did two rounds, one in 2019 and another in 2023. In return, many people were very kind and sent one back to me. I have posted about them before and since I'm not a fan of recycling content, if added the post links below if you're interested to see them, and the stamps I received.

First postcard
Second postcard
Two more postcards
Fifith postcard
Another two more postcards
Twist
Round 2 of my postcard experiment