South Putuo Temple, China

Postcard ID: CN-1728081
Country: China

South Putuo or Nanputuo is a famous Buddhist temple founded in the Tang Dynasty in the Chinese city of Xiamen. It is so named because it is south of the Buddhist holy site Mount Putuo in Zhejiang Province.

During the remaining years of the Tang dynasty, the monks who inhabited the place had established it into a Buddhist sacred land. It used to have different names. In 1684, around the beginning of the Qing dynasty, general Shi Liang provided funds to rebuild the temple, where the Bodhisattva Guanyin was mainly worshipped. The general named it after the Buddhist holy site Mount Putuo of Zhejiang Province, which is considered the abode of Guanyin. In 1924, Hui Quan was appointed the first abbot of the South Putuo Temple and other masters like Hong Yi and Yin Shun taught here. The temple underwent further renovation in the 1980s.

Also the card a couple of nice stamps. The first one is from series 'Environmental Protection' issued in 2002, it's my 3rd stamp from 6:

The next stamp is from series Birds issued in 2006:

Temple of Confucius

Postcard ID: CN-1612410
Country: China

The Temple and Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion are three important sites in Confucianism. They are located in Qufu, Shandong Province. Together with the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Mountain Resort of Chengde, the Temple of Confucius in Qufu is one of the three largest ancient architectural complexes in China. East of the Temple of Confucius, is the Kong Family Mansion. Kong is the family surname of Confucius and his descendants.

Confucianism has had the most enduring and profound effect over Chinese culture. As time went on, Confucius became respected as a sage, and the temples to Confucius were built as a landmark for all of China. Among them, the Temple in Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, is the most famous and the largest.

Included in UNESCO world heritage list.

Chineese flowers

Postcard ID: CN-882931
Country: China

I see this cars as an abstract pattern of Chinese national symbols.

In case with this card I like here a backside. It's cool when people write interesting information. For example, this postcrosser shared with me which places I should visited if I travel to China. It's helpful!

The 24 solar time calendar

Postcard ID: CN-880494
Country: China

This is the card from China which was traveling to me in 52 days. It shows the traditional culture of China - the 24 solar time that people used to remind themselves the time to cultivate. Just like calendar in western country.

Gone with the Wind

Postcard ID: CN-1491560
Country: China

This postcard is so special, so I've decided to start new label for it - Unusual postcards. I'm not a musician? so I cannot play the music from this postcard, but this card contains QR code on the backside, so you can listen to this music! It's wonderful!

Here are the beautiful stamps from the backside:

Guangji Gate Tower, China

Postcard ID: CN-1433620
Country: China

Guangji Gate Tower is often regarded as the most spectacular one among seven ancient city gates of Chaozhou. The gate tower is constructed in 1370 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it is the most prominent symbol of Chaozhou City today. Featured by the distinctive architectural style and the grand fortifications, this gate tower is surely a must-see landmark for visitors and locals alike.

Stands to the west of Xiangzi Bridge, Guangji Gate Tower occupies a prominent position in the center of Chaozhou City, it is well-preserved till today as a good example of this kind historic construction. Erected on a large, thick platform, this magnificent construction is a three-storey tower, and the architectural style outwardly resembles that of a palace. In the center of the first floor stands an impressive arch, at a height of 11.9 feet and a width of 9.5 feet. Hanging on the third floor is a gigantic bronze bell, made in 1134 during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Guangji Gate Tower presents a pretty majestic and imposing sight for it was double-crowned with green tiles and constructed with red walls, as well as decorated with the delicate carvings, scarlet pillars and fine traceried windows.

Beautiful girl from China

Postcard ID: CN-918323
Country: China

Usually I don't really like advertise postcard, however this one is nice! I even didn't think that this is AD card while read it on the backside from the sender :)

As per him this is an old fashion card went in 20 century.

Also I see so great Chinese stamp:

The tea ceremony

Postcard ID: CN-1328494
Country: China

This card shows a small part of tea ceremony. I've found that such ceremonies can be found in Minsk and I'd like to visit one of them with my husband. As a fan of tea I should do it! :)

A tea ceremony is a ritualized form of making tea practiced in the East Asian cultural sphere by the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Vietnamese tea ceremony. The tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of tea. The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called Tea ceremony. One can also refer to the whole set of rituals, tools, gestures, etc. used in such ceremonies as tea culture. All of these tea ceremonies and rituals contain "an adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday life", as well as refinement, an inner spiritual content, humility, restraint and simplicity "as all arts that partake the extraordinary, an artistic artificiality, abstractness, symbolism and formalism" to one degree or another.

At a very basic level, tea ceremonies are a formalized way of making tea, in a process which has been refined to yield the best taste. 

Here is a funne chicken stamp from the card:

Still life

Postcard ID: CN-1332251
Country: China

Here is one more piece of art in my blog. As I don't know Chinese (except some primitive hieroglyphs), I don't understand anything on this postcard. 

However the sender really surprised me. Firstly, he studied in Minsk, but not in the same university like me :)

Secondary, he added to a postcard some checks, souvenir banknotes and other different papers with  hieroglyphs (I have no idea what is that :)). 

As usual here are Chinese stamps (it seems that Chinese post issues more stamps for postcrosser that other countries:)):

Drinks and desserts

Postcard ID: CN-942837
Country: China

Today I show a type of postcards that were not present in these blog before. Here are Nouvelles Images postcards. I hadn't known about them before starting postcrossing activity. As usual, I saw these cards in postcrossing galleries of other peope and would like to have it in my own collection. Than I tried to find the name of these cards. And finally, I added this point to my preferences. And started waiting. Long-long waiting.. 

I was insanely happy when I received such card at the first time :)

Here a Chinese stamp:

Delicious bread

Postcard ID: CN-1306118
Country: China

Here is in Belarus we says "Potatoes are the second bread". Bread we also like :)

Once I saw these postcard in my mailbox (I went from the office where I work and was hungry) I wanted to make a really big sandwich.. and bake cakes and so on... :)

However it's the evening, will return to baking in the morning :)

As usual, here are some great Chinese stamps:

"Magu Tu" brand for cotton cloth products type

Postcard ID: CN-972332
Country: China

Backside of this card said that this is a trade mark for cotton clothes, but I cannot find any useful information about this. So, for me it's a beautiful Chinese postcard, in corresponding style. Everything as I like :)

By the way I like cotton clothes, especially during warm summer time. And I can be upset if I see amazing dress from my dreams, but with inscription "100% viscose". Yes, I am choosy :)

Somewhere in China

Postcard ID: CN-1010782
Country: China

Here is a wonderful card from China. It looks so colourful and shows so interesting object. What's that? I don't know and Google don't want to help me :(

Do you see the door on this stone? I'd like to know what is there inside. A temple? an unusual hostel? a museum? So enigmatic China.. :)

Here is a Chinese stamp with rose:

Ganyang Gully of Baoxing County at the foot of the Jiajin Mountain in autumn

Postcard ID: CN-1039526
Country: China

Here is a colourful postcard with beautiful landscape. Awesome!

Baoxing County is the place where Frenchman A. David found the giant panda. Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, home to more than 30% of the world's pandas which are classed as highly endangered, covers 924,500 ha with seven nature reserves and nine scenic parks in the Qionglai and Jiajin Mountains. The sanctuaries constitute the largest remaining contiguous habitat of the giant panda, a relict from the paleo-tropic forests of the Tertiary Era. It is also the species' most important site for captive breeding. The sanctuaries are home to other globally endangered animals such as the red panda, the snow leopard and clouded leopard. They are among the botanically richest sites of any region in the world outside the tropical rainforests, with between 5,000 and 6,000 species of flora in over 1,000 genera.

A stamp from China:

Chinese tea

Postcard ID: CN-1259601, CN-1302364
Country: China

Do you like tea? Have you tasted real Chinese tea?

Some years ago my friend was in China and then presented this tea to me. I understood nothing on the packing, but tasted real Chinese tea without any additives. But in every day life I like tea with lemon or ginger or something else.

In any case this card is wonderful. If this this a series of postcard I'd like to receive others too :)

So lovely Chinese stamps:

As I received this card twice, here is an additional set of stamp. I had Pekingese like on the stamp, but black!

Beauty Girl from a Dream of the Red Mansions novel

Postcard ID: CN-1239697
Country: China

Dream of the Red Chamber, composed by Cao Xueqin, is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. It was written sometime in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty. It is considered a masterpiece of Chinese literature and is generally acknowledged to be the pinnacle of Chinese fiction. "Redology" is the field of study devoted exclusively to this work.

The title has also been translated as Red Chamber Dream and A Dream of Red Mansions. The novel circulated in manuscript copies with various titles until its print publication, in 1791. The novel is also often known as The Story of the Stone. While the first 80 chapters were written by Cao Xueqin, Gao E, who prepared the first and second printed editions with his partner Cheng Weiyuan in 1791-2, added 40 additional chapters to complete the novel.

Red Chamber is believed to be semi-autobiographical, mirroring the rise and decay of author Cao Xueqin's own family and, by extension, of the Qing Dynasty. As the author details in the first chapter, it is intended to be a memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives and servants. The novel is remarkable not only for its huge cast of characters and psychological scope, but also for its precise and detailed observation of the life and social structures typical of 18th-century Chinese aristocracy.

Here is also beautiful stamp, but I don't known its sense:

An ancient Chinese girl

Postcard ID: CN-1240096
Country: China

Here is one more card from so enigmatic China for me.

For Europeans many Chinese girls look like with the same face. I think it works and vise versa. However when I watching moviese with Chinese actress I can see the difference. And I like to see on the beautiful Chinese girls. Like on this card :)

As usual, Chinese stamps are big and awesome:

Beijing Opera

Postcard ID: CN-1227173
Country: China

This card shows us one of the character in the Beijing Opera.

Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese theater which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China. Major performance troupes are based in Beijing and Tianjin in the north, and Shanghai in the south.

Beijing opera features four main types of performers. Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Beijing opera's characteristically sparse stage. They utilize the skills of speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic. Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements. Performers also adhere to a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production. The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in time with music. Melodies include arias, fixed-tune melodies, and percussion patterns.

As usual, Chinese stamps are incredible!

Holiday Beach, China

Postcard ID: CN-1071817
Country: China

As a sender did not say anything about postcard, I suppose that this Beach is somewhere in China :)
When I see postcards or photos like this one I think that I don't like city beaches :)  so many people!
I like swimming however I don't like when someone bothers me.

And I think that China has so interesting stamps :)

Chinese Poem

Postcard ID: CN-1122099
Country: China

A sender wrote me on the back side of this card: "This is a poem from my country - China. Hope you like it!". I like look of this card, however I have no idea about the sense of this poem :)

Meanwhile there is interesting Chinese stamps: