Friday, August 31, 2007

2007-08-25 Banciao TPO

Banciao Temporary Post Office (TPO)
Name: 2007 Taipei County Sansia Indigo Dyeing Festival
TPO Open Date: 2007 Augest 25th-26th(96.8.25-26)
Cancellation Design: Leaf

The original open date on Augest 18-19, but it was changed to Augest 25-26 due to Typhoon Sepat.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

2007-08-18 Keelung TPO

Keelung Temporary Post Office (TPO)
Name: 2007 Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival & Taoist Master - Zhong Kui
TPO Open Date/Time: 2007 August 18th(96.8.18) (9:00-12:00)
Cancellation Design: Zhong Kui Marries off His Sister

According to folklore, Zhong Kui travelled with Du Ping (杜平), a friend from his hometown, to take part in the imperial examinations at the capital. Though Zhong achieved top honours in the exams, his title of "zhuangyuan" was stripped by the emperor because of his disfigured appearance. In anger, Zhong Kui committed suicide upon the palace steps by hurling himself against the palace gate until his head was broken. Du Ping buried him. After Zhong became king of ghosts in Hell, he returned to his hometown on the Chinese New Year's Eve. To repay Du Ping's kindness, Zhong Kui gave his younger sister in marriage to Du.

More Information of Zhong Kui in Wikipedia.com

2007-08-18 Sanchong TPO

Sanchong Temporary Post Office (TPO)
Name: Myths and Legends of China - Chang'e Flies to the Moon
TPO Open Date/Time: 2007 August 18th(96.8.18) (8:30-12:30)
Cancellation Design: Queen Mother of the West Obliges Houyi with Elixir

Although Houyi cared little about being banished from Heaven, he couldn't bear the fact that he would one day die and become nothing. Searching for a way to regain his immortality, he traveled to the palace of Xi Wang Mu, the Queen Mother of the West, on Kunlun Mountain. Houyi would seek her elixir of immortality. The stories of the great hero, Houyi, were known to the goddess and she took pity on him and agreed, with one condition. Knowing that Houyi was a skilled architect, she asked him to build her a summer palace in exchange for the immortality drug. He agreed and for many months he laboured and earned it. Before departing, Xi Wang Mu warned Houyi that these two elixir that she gave him are the last of their kinds. Houyi planned to spend them on himself and his wife(Chang'e).

More Information of Houyi in Wikipedia.com
More Information of Chang'e in Wikipedia.com

2007-08-15 Sanchong TPO


Sanchong Temporary Post Office (TPO)
Name: Myths and Legends of China - Chang'e Flies to the Moon
TPO Open Date/Time: 2007 August 15th(96.8.15) (8:30-12:30)
Cancellation Design: Houyi Shooting the Sun, Archery

Houyi (Chinese: 后羿), also simply called Yi, was a mythological Chinese archer. He is sometimes portrayed as a god of archery descended from heaven to aid mankind, and sometimes as the chief of the Youqiong Tribe (有窮國) during the reign of King Xiang of Xia Dynasty. His wife, Chang'e, became a lunar deity.

In Chinese mythology, the sun's true forms are the Sun-birds. It is believed that there were ten of them, all of whom are the offspring of Dijun, God of the Eastern Heaven. Each morning, one of these Sun-birds was to rise and give the world light. One day, the Sun-birds grew tired of the routine and decided that all of them were to rise at once. The heat on earth became intense. At a result, crops shrivelled in the fields. Lakes and ponds dried up; humans and animals cowered in shelters or collapsed from exhaustion. Time passed and the suffering continued. Yao, the Emperor of China, decided to plead for divine intervention and ask Dijun for aid.

Dijun was well aware of his sons' misdeeds, and sent for Houyi, the God of Archery, to teach his sons a lesson. Dijun wanted Houyi to simply frighten them so that they would not dare to cause mischief again. Houyi, too, wanted to settle this crisis peacefully, but a single glance at the scorched land was enough to convince him that desperate measures were needed. Angered by the suffering of the people caused by the Sun-birds' misconduct, Houyi lifted up his bow and shot them down one by one. Upon killing the ninth, Emperor Yao hurried to halt him as killing the last one would leave the world in total darkness. Houyi agreed and was hailed as a hero for mankind. Yet, later, Houyi's actions caused him to make enemies in Heaven and as a result he was punished with divine wrath.

More Information of Houyi in Wikipedia.com
More Information of Chang'e in Wikipedia.com