December 16, 2009 - Letters and postcards

Philatelic items and postcards received today:

China
Received beautiful used China stamps and surprisingly, a Chinese New Year card. It's part of a private swap with Mr. Zhong:

The envelope with a pre-printed stamp:
The Chinese New Year card:

Some of the stamps. Two thing I like about China stamps are the sheer size and the vivid depictions:
Thanks a lot to Mr. Zhong

Belarus
Received a wonderful folklore miniature sheet and three postcards as well as used stamps from Victoria:

The envelope with an air of festive seasons:
The colorful folklore miniature sheet:
And the three postcards, two of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

Panorama of Minsk

UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Architecture, Residential, and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvich

- The Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh is located in central Belarus. The Radziwill dynasty, who built and kept the ensemble from the 16th century until 1939, gave birth to some of the most important personalities in European history and culture. Due to their efforts, the town of Nesvizh came to exercise great influence in the sciences, arts, crafts and architecture. The complex consists of the residential castle and the mausoleum Church of Corpus Christi with their setting. The castle has ten interconnected buildings, which developed as an architectural whole around a six-sided courtyard. The palaces and church became important prototypes marking the development of architecture throughout Central Europe and Russia.
(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1196)

UNESCO World Heritage Site - Mir Castle Complex

- The construction of this castle began at the end of the 15th century, in Gothic style. It was subsequently extended and reconstructed, first in the Renaissance and then in the Baroque style. After being abandoned for nearly a century and suffering severe damage during the Napoleonic period, the castle was restored at the end of the 19th century, with the addition of a number of other elements and the landscaping of the surrounding area as a park. Its present form is graphic testimony to its often turbulent history.
(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/625)

Thanks a lot to Victoria.

Malaysia
A postcard from home country at last, depicting the World Heritage City of Penang!

UNESCO World Heritage Site - Georgetown, Historic City of the Straits of Malacca

- Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.
(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223)

Thanks a lot to S L Liew.