Beauty by the Inch

Tiny postage stamps, usually less than one inch square, are important "calling cards" through which a country can present its culture to others. Thus each and every stamp is given great attention.

The most popular stamps are those featuring art works from the National Palace Museum. This stamp displays a brilliant example of the calligraphy of the Song dynast y poet Su Dongpo, "The Cold Food Observance.".

Who decides what goes on stamps? What standards are employed? When the immensely popular singer Teresa Teng passed away last year, why did nothing come of the many suggestions that a stamp be issued in her memory? A lot of people can't help but be intrigued by these questions.

Postage stamps, like currency, have monetary value, so only the state is allowed to issue them. They also are a huge source of income for the government. Last year, the Directorate General of Posts (DGP) earned more than NT$1.36 billion from stamps alone. It is clear that stamps are in great demand.

Nevertheless, every set of stamps gets a different reception. The factors which most directly affect sales are the subject matter and the design.

From flag to lighthouse

How does the subject matter get decided?

You probably didn't know that anyone--equipped with enough facts and reasons--can make a proposal to the post office and become the originator of a subject. Chen Hsiang, section chief of the DGP's Supply Department, which is responsible for the selection of subjects and design for stamps, notes that besides choosing topics on their own, the DGP also accepts ideas from government agencies and national-level organizations. But regardless of the source, all ideas must be passed by the stamp review board, and then be forwarded by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to the Executive Yuan for final approval.

There are clear differences in subject matter depending upon the category of stamp involved.

Stamps can be roughly divided into seven types: definitive, commemorative, topical, air mail, postage-due, semi-postal (charity), and field posts (military). The former three types constitute the vast majority of stamps; the latter four are printed only in very small numbers and are probably lesser known to the general public.

"Definitive" stamps are the ones used in bulk for ordinary mailing. There is no limit on the number of such stamps that can be produced, and they can be repeatedly re-issued. Therefore, the subject matter will focus on landmarks or symbols most representative of their place of origin. This is a key factor taken into account in deciding the subject matter. For example, the stamps of the past featuring the Kinmen Chu Kuang Tower, Chungshan Hall, or the slogan "Dignity with Self-Reliance," as well as the more recent National Flag and Lighthouse issues are all "definitives."

The design for a definitive stamp is usually used for a decade or more. For example, the national flag stamp was first issued in 1978. Although the price on the stamp was changed over time with each increase in rates, the flag design remained the same. However, after the opening up of postal links with mainland China a few years ago, the ROC flag was a little too politically sensitive for the stamps, so it was replaced by the lighthouse design in 1989. Designer Li Kuang-chi says that the underlying meaning of the design is that Taiwan "shines a light to the opposite shore." Moreover, there is an ROC flag on the lighthouse in the picture, albeit one shrunk down to nearly imperceptible size.

When will Teresa get her stamp?

Commemorative stamps are--as you probably guessed--issued as a memorial to events or persons. Subjects are naturally confined to matters so significant that they are worthy of remembrance or of promotion. Examples of such stamps include the Taiwan retrocession and moon landing stamps of the past, and the more recent designs for the centenaries of National Taiwan University Hospital and the DGP itself.

When Teresa Teng died last year, the DGP was buried in a blizzard of letters calling for a commemorative stamp. However, after discussing the subject, the DGP decided not to rush into producing a stamp for this superstar. "The main reason is that we have some unwritten rules for individuals as subjects. For example, we won't issue stamps for them if they are still alive or so recently deceased that no final verdict is yet in on their historical significance," says Bob Hsieh, managing assistant in the Supply Department.

In fact, during the authoritarian era with its so-called "worship of great leaders," Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Yuan Shih-kai, Chiang Kai-shek, and Madame Chiang all had stamps issued during their lifetimes. However, Chiang Ching-kuo put an end to this practice after he became president in 1978.

Bob Hsieh recalls that when the late Chiang Ching-kuo was president, a stamp to commemorate the KMT's Twelfth National Party Congress was going to feature his picture. But, after the stamps had already been printed, the modest Chiang Ching-kuo asked that they not be released. From that point on, the DGP adopted the principle of never featuring living persons on stamps.

Further, to be eligible for a stamp, an individual must have made an important contribution to society, be highly evaluated, and be worthy of general remembrance. Hsieh says that while Teresa Teng's accomplishments are self-evident, her reputation must still stand the test of time. "If, 10 or 20 years after her death, people still deeply miss her, then--and only then--will the DGP consider issuing a commemorative stamp for her," explains Hsieh.

As for "topical" stamps, this category covers special issues of stamps on a specific theme. A huge variety of themes--architecture, flowers, traditional toys, holdings of the National Palace Museum, sports, scenery, folk customs, and so on--have provided subject matter for such special issues.

Beauty by the inch

After the subject matter is decided, next comes the design. The DGP may have an open competition, may design the stamp in-house, or may bring artists in to cooperate in the process. In the past, most stamps were designed in-house. But today efforts are being made to raise design standards, and most stamps are "contracted out" to artists depending upon the specific subject and the artist's own strengths.

Stamp design is rather unique compared to other creative endeavors, and many designers are stumped at how to express their subject matter adequately in the confines of one square inch. Stamp designer Li Kuang-chi says that most of the time devoted to designing a stamp is spent in collecting data and coming up with the concept; the design itself usually takes only a day or two. To design the lighthouse stamps, for example, Li spent two weeks visiting and taking photos of lighthouses on more than 20 offshore islands.

Initial designs are submitted using scaled-up drawings about six times the size of an actual stamp. Unfortunately, when the initial design is shrunk down to its proper size, often there is a great difference in impact and sense of texture compared to the original drawing. This is especially true for map stamps, in which it is necessary to choose between accurate scale and the desired effect.

Consider Li's current project--a Spratley Islands stamp. In the original drawing, hundreds of tiny islands dot the South China Sea. But when shrunk down to stamp size, the islands virtually disappeared. Even the relatively larger islands of Tungsha and Nansha came out looking like nothing more than tiny flaws in the printing. The only way for the smaller islands to appear was to violate accurate scale and enlarge them a bit.

Yet, however minute the design may get, there cannot be any shortcomings, or the result will be great controversy. The stamp commemorating the DGP's 90th anniversary featured an airplane with the ROC flag on the tail. The designer depicted the plane as seen from its left side. Faithful to reality, he placed the white sun symbol of the ROC flag in the upper right-hand corner of the flag (it is ordinarily in the upper left hand corner). This is because the national flag on the right side of an aircraft tail--with the white sun in the upper left--always points toward the head of the plane. Therefore, the flag on the left side of the tail shows the white sun in the upper right (just as a cloth flag viewed from the back side would), so that the flags on both sides are always pointing forward. When the stamp was released, many citizens unaware of this fact sent in protest letters, and the case even drew the attention of the presidential office and of the Bureau of Investigation.

The design of the stamp issued to promote the idea of protection of intellectual property rights also generated debate. The stamp shows a parrot, a symbol of imitation. But many people objected that the design didn't seem to fit the subject.

The most beautiful stamp in the world

Through the changes in stamp themes one can trace changes in society. Yen Yung-an, deputy director of the Philatelic Department, points out that in the days when anti-communism was most emphasized by the government, stamps featured pictures of Chiang Kai-shek, the national flag, or a map of China. In the 1970s and 1980s there were a growing number of stamps devoted to economic development. By the 1990s, subjects were much less heavily influenced by politics, and subjects have recently focussed on the fruits of Taiwan's development.

With social progress, themes have diversified. Yen Yung-an relates that over the past several years Taiwan has issued about 19 or so sets of stamps per year. These have covered a colorful variety of topics including insects, fish, birds, wild animals, scenery, architecture, cultural artifacts, and more. Of these, the most popular home and abroad have always been those of holdings of the National Palace Museum or of calligraphy and painting.

In 1973, at an international stamp exhibition held in Italy with over 100 nations participating, an ROC stamp of an ancient painting took first prize. On another occasion, at an international exhibit held in Argentina, a stamp showing a bird and flower painting of the northern Song dynasty period was declared the most outstanding in the "nature" category.

Stamps are representatives of a culture. Because of the similarity in cultural background, stamps on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait tend to be similar. Huang Chien-pin, who has been a collector for many years, says that stamps from the mainland also frequently depict cultural artifacts and traditional art works. If one didn't look carefully at the name of the national postal service printed in small Chinese characters on the stamps, it would be very hard to tell which side any given stamp might be from.

However, though the two sides often share subject matter, Taiwan collectors feel that ROC stamps are a cut above those of the PRC in terms of both design and sense of texture. In 1992, postal officials on the two sides each selected three sets of stamps to be compared. In the end, the highest evaluation was given to the "Children at Play" series from Taiwan.

Besides National Palace Museum sets, another very special feature of Taiwan stamps is the Chinese zodiac set. A set depicting the animal identified with a given year is released annually at the Chinese New Year. Already the series has been through three entire zodiacal cycles (each lasting 12 years). With the growing influence of the Overseas Chinese community in North America, the US invited a Chinese- American designer to produce a stateside set of Chinese zodiac stamps. Beginning a few years ago, sets have been produced for the years of the chicken, dog, and pig, respectively. Except for tiny English letters identifying the place where the stamp was printed, the brushed-ink design and writing are thoroughly Chinese in style. Australia has followed suit, and this year issued a series to celebrate the Year of the Rat.

Abstraction vs. realism

In the eyes of collectors, how do Taiwan stamps differ from those of other countries? Many people feel that Taiwan designs are more stereotypical and static, lacking the vitality of many foreign layouts. Huang Chien-pin argues that the greatest flaw in local stamp design is the "inability to escape from the burden of history." He says, "They try to fill every stamp with complex meanings covering past and present, so the designs get too complicated and lack focus." In comparison, the stamps of Western countries have clearly defined subjects and bolder designs.

Yen Yung-an, on the other hand, argues that ROC stamps are more meticulous and realistic, and are designed according to the principle of not deviating from the actual object being depicted. European and American stamps, on the other hand, are often more abstract. Take for example the stamps commemorating the reunification of Germany. White on the bottom, with black lettering, and with the three colors of the national flag splashed on in bold strokes, the design is simple and clear. In Taiwan, on the other hand, the stamp with the national colors simply has a depiction of the actual flag.

In fact, stamp design in Taiwan is gradually becoming more lively. Li Kuang-chi, who has designed nearly 300 stamps over the past 20 years, feels this most directly. He says that in the past the members of the design review board were generally conservative, and it was hard to get abstract designs through. "They were always worried about counterfeiting, since stamps have a face value equal to money, so they thought that the more complicated the design was, the better. Now people are more open-minded, and can accept abstract designs." Just look at the "Year of Traffic Safety" stamps issued in 1992. A warning against drinking and driving was expressed with blocks of color and an alcohol bottle. This type of design was rarely seen in the early days.

Invisible secrets

Given that stamps do have monetary value, some anti-counterfeiting measures are unavoidable. Perhaps most people don't know this, but each stamp--despite being worth only a few NT dollars--goes through "counterfeiting prevention" treatment. Chen Hsiang notes that besides using watermarked paper, there are secret symbols on both front and back of every stamp. Even post office employees do not know what these markings are--only the printer knows. Information about the hidden marks is sealed, and only opened when necessary (for example, when citizens suspect that they have received phony stamps).

From subject selection, design, and counterfeit prevention to printing and issuing, every stamp goes through about a six month "gestation period" before coming into the world. Though less than the nine months it takes for a human baby, that is still a lot of labor for the people behind every birth of a new stamp.

Given the growing size and influence of their overseas Chinese populations, the US and Australia have both issued Chinese zodiac stamps.

The key to stamp design is to express the subject in less than a square inch.