Tag: Taiwan stamp

Taiwan was in a weird state in the early 1950s. The KMT which had formerly ruled China now just had the island of Formosa. Perhaps it was necessary to kid themselves that the defeat was just a setback in a longer struggle. Maybe if Taiwan could recruit some of the PLA soldiers captured in the Korean War. That would prove that everything isn’t so peachy on the mainland. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp has a strange visual. The prisoner who has broken the chains that bind him appears to be drowning. Perhaps if a helping hand from Taiwan was coming out of the dark sky to save him it would make more sense. The 10th Taiwan World Freedom Day commemorates the day that a ship carrying 14,000 PLA prisoners of the Korean War landed in Taiwan. They had elected to go there instead of returning to mainland China. This event was played as a victory and was the start of a long lasting worldwide anti communist organization, the Asian People’s Anti Communist League. This bunch is now known as the World League of Freedom. I am sure they gave the CIA their banking information.

Todays stamp is issue A205, a $3.20 Taiwan Dollar stamp issued on January 23rd, 1964. The two stamp issue in different denominations marks the 10th celebration of the World Freedom Day holiday. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth $2.75 unused.

After the Korean War ended in 1953, Chinese soldiers who had “volunteered” to fight on the North Korean side but taken prisoner by the United Nations forces were given a choice as to whether they would prefer to repatriate to China or go to Taiwan. This seems a bizarre choice to offer as they were prisoners and therefore it was impossible to know their real intentions. It was of course also bizarre to believe the Chinese Army marching into North Korea was volunteering instead of acting under orders from Peking. In any case, 23,000 of the POWs were sent to Taiwan. Many apparently had served previously in the KMT Army during the late 1940s Chinese Civil War. It was not unusual in that for soldiers or whole units to change sides.

1954 was a time when the USA was formalizing relations with Asian countries as a buffer against the advance of Communists. The most prominent part of this was the South East Asia Treaty Organization, SEATO. This was modeled on NATO and lasted from 1954-1977. Taiwan formed the Asian People’s Anti Communist League in South Korea with the Philippines also a member. It’s goal was to provide support to anti communist activists around Asia and eventually world wide. You hear of course about the Socialist Internationale with all it’s anarchists but not so much about the other side. The organization’s Secretariat went through many homes passing through South Korea, Manilla before a 10 year stay in Saigon in then South Vietnam. The fall of Saigon in 1975 temporarily ended the organization but it was reconstituted in Taipei in 1977. In 1991, the name changed to World League of Freedom to recognize the fall of Communism at least in the Soviet sphere.

Over the years the group has attracted some iffy people. Among them were former SS officer and adventerur Otto Skorzeny, Japanese mobster Yoshio Kodama, and former American General John Singlaub. American Senator and later Presidential candidate John McCain was briefly involved but later resigned and asked that his name be removed from their lists. Taiwan politician Chou Kujen is the current leader.

Well my dink is empty and without a handout from the Asian People’s Anti Communist League I will have to stop drinking. Come again soon for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2019.

Losing becomes self perpetuating. Kuomintang leader General Chiang Kai-shek had to flee to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war. His comrades were now in a strange land and many of the locals found the former Japanese administration more efficient. The General had an idea to return to national glory before the Americans got serious about not cashing his checks. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

I found it strange that this Taiwan stamp portrayed their leader in the guise of a General. Many if not most of the General Chiang’s battles had not gone well. Yet here he is, at nearly 70, presenting himself as a military leader ready to win back the China he had lost. To have survived so long Chiang had his fans, but this was not a convincing guise to convince anyone new.

Todays stamp is issue A124 a $2 stamp issued by the Republic of China on Taiwan on October 31st, 1956. It was a six stamp issue in various denominations displaying President Chiang Kai-shek as a military leader. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used. This was a bulk postage issue therefore unused versions are more valuable. A mint version of this stamp is up at $16.

At the end of World War II, Taiwan had been under Japanese occupation for over 50 years. Things had been peaceful and there had been economic progress. At suggestion of the Allies, Chinese Kuomintang(KMT) forces accepted the Japanese surrender.  The KMT administration proved much rougher than the Japanese. On February 28th, 1947 a local 40 year old widow lady was selling contraband cigarettes on the street when agents from the tax authority approached her. One of the agents hit her over her head with a pistol as an angry crowd formed. Soon the agents fled after shooting into the crowd. This lead to days of riots where over 5000 people were killed. Thus the KMT’s legitimacy was already suspect when their leaders arrived in defeat from the mainland.

The legitimacy of General Chiang was already under question. The KMT had been the recipient of massive amounts of American aid over many years to have nothing but Taiwan to show for it. He was still asking for and getting even more aid while making big promises. Thus the sneer in America of General Cash my Check. The Soviet Union was at the time having similar feelings about all the aid going to Red China while their great leap forward proved to be such a stumble.

Nevertheless, General Chiang had a plan to turn things around. It was modeled after Sun Yat-sen’s successful effort to bring down the Qing Dynasty in 1911. See https://the-philatelist.com/2019/04/26/china-1961-remembering-sun-tat-sen-for-trying-to-bring-peace-order-and-good-government-over-from-hong-kong/ . Small units of special forces would foment trouble while the Muslim opposition army funded from Taiwan acted as a warlord army. It sounds pretty fanciful that it could work, but Chiang had often been attracted to such schemes.

In late 1965, Project National Glory got under way when special forces were to be landed in the mainland. The Red Chinese navy caught the ships and two were sunk. Earlier a practice for an amphibious landing was botched when three landing craft overturned in high waves. General Chiang gave up on these fanciful schemes in the early 70s when many countries withdrew recognition from Taiwan as the spokesman for all of China.

Chiang Kai-shek died in 1976 at the age of 89. His son by his first wife succeeded him. His then current wife, number four and First Lady fled to the USA as she was on bad terms with the son from another mother. See https://the-philatelist.com/2018/03/06/madame-chaing-efforts-to-help-warphans/  .

Well my drink is empty and I am left wondering how much the USA and the Soviet Union squandered trying to influence what happens in China. Not money well spent. Come again tomorrow for another story to be learned from stamp collecting.

A woman who lived in 3 centuries and who was first lady of China deserves a stamp and that stamp has a story. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The design of the stamp today is fairly austere. That made me hope that it was a stamp from mainland China. The reason to get excited by that is that stamp collecting is growing in China and as a result the mainland offerings are quite valuable in comparison with Taiwan. It is easy to test this hypothesis. Madame Chaing’s sister was the ceremonial head of state of Mainland China. A stamp with her from the same year is worth 50 times what my stamp is worth. If the hobby could pick up some steam in Taiwan the disparity could be made to disappear. Get to work Taiwan stamp collecting!

Todays stamp is issue A163, an 80 cent stamp issued by Taiwan on March 8th, 1961. The stamp features First Lady Chaing on the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Woman’s Anti-Aggression League. It was part of a three stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 30 cents used.

Madame Chaing was born Soong Mei-ling in Shanghai, the daughter of a wealthy American educated, Methodist, Chinese businessman in the printing field. Mei-Ling and her sisters were educated at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA USA. As she was only 13 she stayed with friends of her sister in Demarest, Georgia and enrolled in eighth grade. Wesleyan took her at age 15 and gave her tutors to help her get caught up. Both her and her sister, later Sun Yat-sen’s wife, afterward spoke English with a Georgia accent.

Back in China, her sister Ching-ling acted as Sun Tat Sen’s secretary and later his second wife. Upon Sun Yat-sen’s death, Chinese leader Chaing Kai-shek wooed Mei-Ling and married her. Becoming brother in law to Sun Yat-sen enhanced his position. The marriage lasted 48 years but there were no children. At the end of the civil war in China in 1949, Ching-ling  remained in China as she was a  much honored communist. Mei Ling went to Taiwan and continued as First Lady.

Todays stamp celebrates Madame Chaing’s charity work so lets talk about that. Her cause were the orphaned children of soldiers in the Chinese Civil War and that with Japan. She founded schools, one for boys and one for girls for such children that she referred to as warphans. She even picked the teachers in the schools. Many years after Madame Chaing left Taiwan, her organization was accused of being a front for political kickbacks to the political party and dissolved.

When Chaing Kai-shek died in 1975, he was succeeded by his son from a previous mairrage. Mei-ling did not have good relations with him and moved to New York. She lived quietly until her death in 2003 at the age of 105 years old. For the most part, by then she was remembered fondly in both Chinas for her accomplishments.

Well my drink is empty and so I will pour another to toast Madame Chaing. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.