If photography is a "record" of history, then stamps are a "reflection" of and "testimony" to that history. The creation of each new stamp is closely related to contemporary society. Each stamp is like a page in a book, recording the footprints on the road we have traveled.

Stamps--verification that postage has been paid--seem an essential part of modern mail services. Today, the Universal Postal Union recognizes more than 100 countries as permitted to issue postage stamps. Yet it has been only a short 155 years since the first stamp system was established by the Englishman Sir Rowland Hill in 1840.

China formally established a modern postal service in 1896 (the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty), so this year marks its centenary. But Chinese stamps first appeared in 1878, when the customs service began trial postal operations. As of March 20 of this year, the day marking the 100th anniversary of the post office, our country (including the late Qing era and the Republic of China) has issued 3513 different stamps in 775 sets.

China's first stamp--the 1st Customs Dragon Issue (1878)--showed a celestial dragon playing with a pearl. Although most of those running Chinese postal affairs in those days were actually foreigners, this first stamp is definitely Chinese in terms of both the picture and the lettering. The stamp's designer remains a mystery. However, Pan An-sheng, former director of the Chinese Postal Museum, believes that the designer was probably Chinese.

Stamped images

The imperial system was overthrown in 1911. The Republic of China was formally established in 1912, opening a new page in history. Naturally the stamps of the "Great Qing Postal Service" were no longer valid. Those stamps still in stock had terms like "Provisional Neutrality," "Republic of China and Provisional Neutrality," and "Republic of China" stamped on to them to mark the new era.

Two sets of stamps--the National Revolution Commemorative Issue and the Founding of the Republic Commemorative Issue (both produced in December of 1912)--indicate the true beginning of the new postal regime. The former show a picture of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the latter of Yuan Shikai. The production of the stamps reflected the political turmoil of that era. Originally the two were to show Dr. Sun and a map of China, respectively. However, after the stamps had been printed but before they were issued, events forced Dr. Sun to step down as the nation's leader, and Yuan Shikai was inaugurated as the first president of the ROC. The old stamps were thrown away, and the map of China was replaced by Yuan's visage.

Early stamps were mainly intended simply to show that postage had been paid, and little attention was given to design. Most early ROC stamps featured pictures of Dr. Sun or revolutionary martyrs. Somewhat more interesting is the New Life Movement Commemorative Issue (1936). That year, as part of the effort to suppress Communist forces in China, Chiang Kai-shek launched the New Life Movement to alter the undisciplined, even extravagant, lifestyles of many Chinese. The stamps are printed with various slogans from that movement, calling for people to live lives based on the principles of etiquette, rectitude, frugality, modesty, cleanliness, simplicity, and efficiency.

In 1937, the country entered the all-out War of Resistance Against Japan. The well-equipped Japanese troops at first cut right through the Chinese forces, while China could only fall back on its deep interior and an indomitable nationalist spirit. The Austerity Movement for Reconstruction Issue (1941) records the social environment of that time.

A turbulent history

In 1945 Japan was defeated, and Taiwan returned to the jurisdiction of the ROC. At that time, because Taiwan used a different currency, the Directorate-General of Posts (DGP) began designing and printing special stamps for use in Taiwan. In the meantime, to meet the urgent need for stamps, the words "For use in Taiwan Province, ROC" were printed on old Japanese-era stamps.

In fact, even before then, Taiwan had a postal history independent from that of China. When Liu Mingchuan became governor of Taiwan in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign (1888), he developed a modern postal service and issued stamps. Stamps such as the Postal Service Trademark Issue, Taiwan Stamp Issue, and Dragon and Horse series all date back to that time.

In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki following the Sino-Japanese War. When Japanese troops landed at Keelung, local officials and citizens rose up to defend the island, and established the Taiwan Republic. The fledgling republic called on Liu Yungfu, an officer with the Qing Black Banner forces, to come over from Guangzhou to be their military leader, and they issued stamps to raise funds for an armed force. These stamps featured flowing water and a roaring tiger, and have come to be called "Independence Tiger Stamps." However, this postal service lasted only 81 days before the defenders were overcome by the Japanese. From then until 1945 Taiwan's mail services were taken over by the Japanese colonial regime.

In 1946, the National Assembly convening in Nanjing passed the ROC Constitution. The constitution was officially put into effect the following year, and the Adoption of Constitution Commemorative Issue (1947) was produced to mark this moment in time illustrating the desire of the government to move forward toward constitutional rule.

The year 1949 saw the largest number of issues--264 varieties--of any single year of ROC postal history. This was not because there were a great many things to commemorate, but because the chaotic currency situation and rampant inflation--making paper money virtually worthless as soon as it came out of the printer's--meant that stamps had to be constantly revalued; they were repeatedly altered in the process. Take for example the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Gold Yuan Issue. It had an initial face value of 10 yuan, but ultimately reached one million yuan. Eventually it was decided not to bother printing numbers on the stamps, but to have the local post office fill in the amount at the time of mailing. These stamps reflect a society in chaos, one soon to fall to the Communist Party.

Post-war posts reflect hard work

At the end of the same year, the government fled to Taiwan, and Chiang Kai-shek (who had nominally retired from leadership) formally resumed the presidency. The President Chiang's Resumption of Office Commemorative Issue (which only came out in 1952) is a symbol of the new state of affairs.

By the end of WWII, Taiwan was already short of most material goods. And when the government moved here, swelling the local population with the addition of two million soldiers and refugee civilians, there was a great shortage of housing and other types of construction. So the government embarked on large scale civil engineering. One of the main themes of stamps of that era is commemorating various projects.

In terms of policy, two representative commemorative issues are those for Self-Government in Taiwan Province (1951) and Reduction of Land Rent in Taiwan Province (1952). Both feature farmers and crops, illustrating the vital importance of agriculture to society at that time.

When the Silo Bridge was completed across Taiwan's biggest river, the Chuoshui, it was at that time the longest highway bridge in East Asia. The Cross-Island Highway, cut through the precipices of Taiwan's Central Mountain Range, was also an amazing feat of human effort. The Silo Bridge Commemorative Issue and the set marking the first anniversary of the commencement of work on the Cross-Island Highway both record the efforts of those in the previous generation who pioneered construction in our homeland.

The core official philosophy of the 1950s was anti-communism. Never was this more strongly emphasized than in 1958, when mainland China began artillery bombardments of Kinmen Island. The Kinmen Chu Kwang Tower Stamps (definitive stamps first printed in 1959 and reissued in 1960 and 1964) and the topical series on the Defense of Kinmen and Matsu (1959) were aimed at inspiring all soldiers and citizens to fight on against mainland China.

Taiwan puts its stamp on subject matter

In the 1960s, stamps began to feature more things unique to Taiwan. For example, there were topical series on Taiwan Fruits (1964), featuring local products like bananas, oranges, pineapples, and watermelons; Taiwan Birds (1967), introducing the Muller's barbet, the maroon oriole, the Taiwan green pigeon, the Taiwan blue magpie, the crested serpent eagle, and the Mikado pheasant; as well as Taiwan scenery, fishes, flowers, and so on. All these are richly imbued with local flavor.

In addition, stamps from that era are strongly colored by "educational" functions. Two examples are the Model Citizen's Life Stamps (topical, 1969) and the Family Planning Postage Stamps (topical, 1970). The latter depicted the ideal family for the edification of citizens: two parents and three kids, all happily enjoying themselves. These stamps remind us that Taiwan's population was a lot smaller then, and there was still enough room to have the relatively relaxed "3-3" population policy (urging couples to have their first child only three years after marriage, and to have no more than three children total). Also, given that in the early days many families had seven or eight children, 3-3 was already calling for quite a reduction, and that was about all that people could accept.

The implementation of nine-year compulsory education was a policy with far-reaching consequences. The First Anniversary of the Implementation of the Nine-Year Free Education System Commemorative Issue (1969) recalls a memorable moment for all of those people who were then in primary school and for whom automatic nine-year education meant freedom from grueling exams in primary school for previously limited spaces in grades 7-9.

Rebuilding national self-confidence

It would not be too much to call the 1970s "the baseball decade." Not only was it a sport familiar to all, young and old alike, Taiwan's young baseball championship teams helped rebuild shattered national self-confidence.

In 1971, a Little League team from Taiwan called the Giants won the 25th Little League World Series. (This was the second such title, following the success of the Golden Dragons.) The Directorate- General of Posts produced a commemorative stamp showing a young pitcher superimposed against the Chungshan Hall. In 1974, teams from Taiwan in all three youth baseball age brackets brought home their respective world titles, spreading the reputation of Taiwan baseball far and wide. That year a two-stamp commemorative set was issued, which might be said to recall the real takeoff of the sport in Taiwan.

It was also at that time that Taiwan began many large-scale infrastructure projects, including a steel plant, new railroads, electrification of existing rail lines, a petrochemical industry, Taichung harbor, the international airport in Taoyuan, the north-south freeway, the Kaohsiung shipyard, and Su-ao harbor. The Nine Major Construction Projects Stamps (definitive, 1974, 1976, and 1977) illustrate how in the 1970s Taiwan was shifting from agricultural to industrial development. The steady completion of these infrastructure projects laid the foundation for Taiwan's economic takeoff in the 1980s.

No longer a parrot

Looking over stamps from the 1980s, it is clear that the subject matter was becoming increasingly diversified as society was more and more open. The topical Economic Construction--Science and Technology Postage Stamps (1988) feature atomic energy, industrial automation, information technologies, biotechnology, and so on. In these you can see how Taiwan's economic structure was being upgraded toward high technology.

There were several sets oriented toward national health, beginning with Dental Health (1982) reminding people to pay attention to oral hygiene, and followed by Prevent Hypertension (1988) and Prevent Smoking Pollution (1989). It is clear that, after economic development and the acquisition of wealth, health maintenance was becoming a very important topic.

After the economy and trade had developed to a certain level, it was imperative for Taiwan to pass beyond the stage of being a "pirate kingdom" and to compete fairly with developed countries in the international market. That is how the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights Stamps (topical, 1986) came to appear at that time. Meanwhile, longneglected disadvantaged groups began to get greater attention, and the compassionate illustrations in the Promotion of Social Welfare Postage Stamps (1985, 1989) point the way to future social goals.

In recent years, environmental consciousness has been on the rise, and this attitude has been well represented in stamps. Take for example the Taiwan Endangered Mammals Postage Stamps (1992), featuring the Chinese otter, the Formosan flying fox, the Formosan clouded leopard, and the Formosan black bear, all species which face extinction; as well as the Environmental Protection set (1993). These reflect a reassessment in a society that has become overdeveloped and seriously polluted.

An era of harvesting

In terms of the content of postage stamps, the mid- 1990s seems to be a time for looking back on long-term achievements. Commemorative stamps have been issued marking the centenaries of the Kuomintang, National Taiwan University Hospital, and the postal service itself. Other stamps celebrate the 50th anniversary of the victory over Japan in WWII and of the retrocession of Taiwan to China. All of these display the fruits of history.

Of the stamps issued last year, those most closely attuned to the pulse of society include the Inauguration of National Health Insurance Commemorative Issue and the Anti-Drug Campaign Postage Stamps. The former marks a policy of the utmost importance to citizens' daily lives, albeit one on which final judgment must still be reserved. The latter touches upon one of the most urgent problems facing contemporary Taiwan society, a struggle being called "The Second Opium War."

Let's hope there comes a day when there is a Centenary of National Health Insurance Commemorative Issue, and that the anti-drug stamps quietly fade into irrelevance.

Birds and beasts, fishes and flowers, fruits and vegetables. . . . Stamps of the 1960s were imbued with Taiwan's local flavor. （Sinorama File Photo）

Little League baseball champions helped restore shattered national confidence. The heroic posture of the young ballplayer recalls how baseball swept the nation back then. （photo by Vincent Chang）

The 50th anniversary of Taiwan's return to Chinese rule, the 100th anniversary of the founding of National Taiwan University Hospital.... Last year there were several significant commemorations, generating a wave of nostalgia.