世界华人邮票掇英

在我的《中外交流》专题邮集中，有一册是汇集国外发行有关华人题材的邮票。这里撷取几个画面，奉献给读者。

三国邮苑缅怀华人开拓

1997年是中国移民到达古巴150周年，古巴发行一种邮票，画面是古巴华裔女画家的作品――“树林”，它以象征性的手法，寓意华人在古巴生根、开花、结果。一些古巴历史学家指出，第一批中国人于1847年7月到达古巴，他们以自己的汗水和英雄主义精神，在发展古巴经济，争取古巴民族独立斗争中，发挥了积极的作用。也从那时起，中国移民文明的足迹逐渐在古巴四处传播，并逐渐与当地文明融合，构成了如今古巴社会的一部分。

秘鲁是拉美华人（华侨）最多、移民历史最悠久的国家之一。目前全秘鲁有华裔150多万人（其中华侨30万）。1999年是华人抵秘鲁150周年，秘鲁政府隆重举行庆祝活动，同时发行一种邮票。该邮票由华裔设计师设计，洋溢着浓郁的中国传统特色：大红色的背景，繁体汉字，有“1849”和“1999”两枚中国印章图案，并有中国龙和秘鲁地图相互辉映。邮票显示秘中人民的亲密友谊，那涌动的波浪象征华人远渡重洋来到秘鲁和乘风破浪向新目标迈进之意。

与古、秘两国邮票上所呈现的喜庆色彩不同，大洋洲岛国瑙鲁发行的一种邮资片上，它展示的是1906年中国劳工在瑙鲁开采磷矿的辛劳场景。邮资图上的华工手执铁锹，光着上身，弯腰曲背地在开采磷石，而最前方的一位年轻华工，挑着满满的两筐矿石，几乎将扁担都压弯了，他那胸脯还露出条条瘦骨，令人为他们的艰难生活担忧。邮资片所昭示的，含有后人饮水不忘掘井人之意。

世界遗产会安建筑群

2004年12月1日，越南发行一套《世界文化遗产――会安》邮票，其中一枚为小型张，邮资主图展现的是华人“福建会馆”建筑物，邮票背景以俯瞰的视角，将会安这座融合各种民族文化、富有古韵的古城全貌和港口尽收眼底。

会安，这座港口城市位于越南中部，16世纪这里发展成为东南亚的一个重要贸易交流中心，中国、日本、南洋的商船经常在会安港进出。由于当时在会安经商的中国人和日本人很多，当局允许在这里分别建立具有本国民族特色的华人和日本人居住的单独街道。

华人居住的街道有观音庙、关帝庙等中国风格的庙宇，最突出的是在华人街上先后建起了福建会馆、广肇会馆、潮州会馆、琼府会馆和总会馆――中华会馆。福建会馆坐落在会安市陈富街，建于1697年，起初冠名“金山”，1757年福建商会对其进行了修缮和扩建，建成福建会馆。馆内供奉观世音和妈祖像，侍立两旁的是千里眼和顺风耳；馆中还摆放着一具中国商船的模型。福建会馆造型独特，雕梁画栋，具有中国传统建筑风格。

华人会馆也同样出现在加勒比海岛国牙买加的邮票上，邮票上那一字排开的朱红门庭、那飞檐翘角宫殿式的楼阁、那上悬的“中华会馆”巨匾，确实气势非凡；另一枚邮票上的“中国城”，宛似一幅江南小城的素描画，在书有汉字的“中华会馆”两侧，是一排白墙灰顶住宅，还有一位老汉驾着马车奔驰在街道上。

新加坡邮票上的“唐人街”

唐人街是世界各地华人社区的统称，也是华侨迁居海外最初的落脚点。唐人街有着浓郁的中华文化，这些被早期中国移民历尽千辛万苦保留下来的中华文化，又因吸收了大量居住地区文化而产生变异，这就发展成特有的唐人街文化。

1984年5月17日，新加坡发行的一套四枚《油画艺术――新加坡唐人街绘画》邮票，就是用油画这一艺术形式，逼真地再现昔日新加坡唐人街的牛车水街、塔街、春加奴街和庙街等四个街区的万般风情。你置身其间，仿佛漫步在我国广东、福建某一条街道上：这里有呈鹅黄式的古旧木结构房子、有遮阳避雨的走廊、有临街傍河埠的菜市、有商铺林立的集市、有摆开桌椅的餐饮场所，行人熙熙攘攘。借助放大镜，在邮票画面上隐约地看到挂有“黑龙丸”、“泰山药”等招牌的中药铺，一些茶楼酒家和寺庙等建筑物也会映入你的眼帘。

华人与生肖邮票

春节是中国文化的符号，海外华人以写春联、贴年画、放爆竹、舞狮龙、挂大红灯笼等特有的方式，将新春喜悦撒满世界。同样，各国政府为了表彰华人对所在国作出的重大贡献，表达对中国人民的友好感情和推崇中国文化，也竞相发行中国“十二生肖”邮票，从而在世界邮坛上亮出了一道贺中国新年特有的文化景观，并演变成为全球性的一种贺年邮票。

2005年1月31日，当中国乙酉鸡年降临之际，欧洲文化重镇法国继美国1992年开启发行中国生肖邮票后，也拉开发行中国生肖邮票的大幕。其序曲把象征法兰西民族的高卢鸡一声啼鸣而飞到乙酉邮票上，担当起中国生肖鸡的司职。这神来一笔，将东西方文化交融得如此和谐与美妙。由法国艺术家设计和旅法华人艺术家题写汉字书法的小版张邮票所含的10枚邮票，分列于两侧呈直五连，犹如中国传统对联一般，那威武矫健的高卢鸡面朝东方齐声引吭高歌，给人一种振奋之感。邮票一面世，立即受到法国华人和欧洲人的争购。法国邮政表示：中国生肖文化作为非常重要的中国元素已经融入到法兰西社会中，它每年都将有一枚相应的邮票发行，与华人同庆生肖新年的到来。

70%居民是华人的澳大利亚圣诞岛，已连续11年发行生肖邮票，中国味特别浓郁。牛年的“牛郎织女”、兔年的“嫦娥奔月”、蛇年的“断桥相会”、狗年的二郎神和哮天犬等中国民间传说都在邮票上亮相，尽显中国文化魅力。而最使人动容的是2002年“马年”生肖邮票上，在一片欢乐喜庆声中，骑着骏马的信使手握写有唐岑参的诗句：“马上相逢无纸笔，凭君传语报平安”的书轴，向华人家庭送去岁末年初的问候与祝福，友情、亲情、乡情溢于言表。

华商邮票富有创意

2006年是新加坡中华总商会成立100周年，新加坡邮政特发行一套5枚纪念邮票和一枚小全张。邮票设计富有创意，它以窄幅的扇形造型，分别展现了总商会大厦、会花、会徽及南洋大学行政楼等，边饰衬以5种不同形式的刺绣，整套邮票就像5幅装裱好的扇面画。小全张的设计更胜一筹：5枚扇形邮票依次贴着母线排开，组合成一幅大型的宽幅扇面，再以红底金龙刺绣作为边饰，“跨世纪”、“越四海”的书法如对联般布置左右，巧妙地营造了中国书画风韵，体现出总商会中华文化的底蕴。

此前，菲律宾邮政在菲律宾中华总商会成立100周年，也发行了一套2枚纪念邮票，将中国长城和菲律宾海岛标志性建筑分别作为邮票主图，以象征两国的经贸交往。

Chinese Charms on Foreign Stamps

By Tu Xuefan

One of my theme stamp collections is entitled Sino-Foreign Exchanges and one album in the collection has all foreign stamps with Chinese images. The following is a brief introduction to some of these stamps.

Stamps in Memory of Chinese Immigrants in Three Countries

The year 1997 was the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese immigrants in Cuba. The Caribbean country issued a stamp to memorialize this event. The stamp displays a picture by a Chinese descendent in Cuba. In the picture are trees, a graphic and apt metaphor that compare the Chinese immigrants to trees that took roots, grew up and blossomed in Cuba. Cuban historians conclude that the first Chinese immigrants arrived in Cuba in July, 1847. Heroic and diligent, the Chinese immigrants played an important and active role in local economic growth and the country's war for independence. From 1847 forward, the Chinese immigrants gradually spread throughout Cuba. Today, the Chinese descendents are an integral part of its society.

Peru has the largest and earliest Chinese population in South America. Nowadays, the Chinese descendents in the country number 1.50 million, including 300,000 overseas Chinese. The year 1999 marked the 150th anniversary of the Chinese arrival in Peru. In addition to other celebrating events, the government issued a stamp on the occasion. Designed by a Peruvian Chinese artist, the stamp displays a typical Chinese style: against a backdrop in bright red are the prints of two Chinese-style seals that bear the years 1849 and 1999; and there are a Chinese dragon and a map of Peru that add the radiance.

In contrast to the celebratory style in the two stamps, Nauru, an island in the Pacific Ocean, issued a quite a different stamp in commemoration of the Chinese who came to the Pacific island country. On the stamp are Chinese miners working very hard in the phosphate mine on the island in 1906. The stamp expresses sympathy toward the Chinese coolies who marked the hardship in the early years of the island country.

Overseas Chinese Communities

On December 1, 2004, Vietnam released a set of stamps in celebration of Hoian, a historical place on the list of the world cultural heritage. One sheetlet of stamps depicts Fujian Guild House in Hoian. Hoian, a port city in the central Vietnam, first grew into an important trade center in the 16th century. Ships from China, Japan and Southeast Asian countries visited the port regularly. As more and more Chinese and Japanese business people came to live in the city, the local government allowed the Chinese and the Japanese to build their own communities. The Chinese community was built along a street, lined with the Avalokitesvara Temple and The Memorial Temple of Lord Guan. Then Fujian House, Guangzhao House, Chaozhou House appeared there before the China Guild House was finally erected. The Fujian Guild House was built in 1697 and was refurbished in 1757 by the Fujian Chamber of Commerce in Hoian.

A stamp issued in Jamaica also shows a Chinese guild house as the centerpiece. Another Jamaican stamp depicts a Chinese city, which looks like a sketch of a dreamlike small city in southern Yangtze River delta.

China Town is a global phrase that refers to the Chinese community in foreign countries. For many Chinese immigrants, it also serves as the first foothold where they start their new life. On May 17, 1984, Singapore issued a set of four stamps depicting its China Town. The four stamps are miniaturized reprints of four oil paintings of four famous streets in the Chinese community in town. In the stamps, you can see wood houses, arcades, a riverside vegetable market, shops and restaurants. With a magnifying glass, you can even recognize some shop signs inscribed in Chinese.

Twelve-Animal* Stamps

The Spring Festival symbolizes the Chinese culture. Overseas Chinese descendents celebrate the event by writing Spring Festival Couplets, posting New Year pictures, setting off firecrackers, dancing with lion costumes, and hanging out red lanterns. In recent years, many countries have issued twelve animal stamps to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival. On January 31, 2005, the day of the Chinese Spring Festival, France released the first of the twelve-animal stamps. As it was the Year of Rooster, the stamp shows a Gallic rooster, one of the French emblems, to celebrate the Chinese Year of Rooster. The magic inspiration of a French image for the celebration of the Chinese New Year suggests the close cultural links between the two countries. A sheetlet of the ten stamps looks like a traditional Chinese couplet for Spring Festival. When the stamp was released, it enjoyed popularity with both French Chinese and other Europeans.

Christmas Island, a territory of Australia located 2,600 kilometers north-west of Perth, Western Australia in the Indian Ocean, has a Chinese population accounting for about 70% of the total population on the island. The island has issued 11 twelve-animal stamps so far. The stamps use Chinese legends to illustrate auspicious animals.

* representing the twelve Earthly Branches in Chinese culture, used to symbolize the year in which a person is born.

(Translated by David)