Number 123 Quarter 2005
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Postal Himal QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE NEPAL AND TIBET PHILATELIC STUDY CIRCLE NTPSC Homepage (courtesy of Rainer Fuchs) http://fuchs-online.com/ntpsc Number 123 3rd Quarter 2005 Postal Himal is a quarterly publication of the Nepal & Tibet Philatelic Study Circle. Membership subscriptions run from January through December of each year. Dues should be paid in local currency at the prevailing exchange rate to the Society representative in your area. One Year Three Years Life Member Great Britain £12 £33 £250 USA $18 $50 $375 Europe €19 €52 €390 American Philatelic Society Affiliate # 122 British Philatelic Federation Affiliate #435 Secretary: Mr. Colin T. Hepper Editor: Mr. Richard M. Hanchett cn Calle Miguel Angel 6 Rainbow C01ll1 El Sueno - Fase 1 Warwick, RI 02889-1 I 18 El Chaparral USA 03184 Torrevieja Phone (40 I) 738 0466 Alicante email: editorofpostalhi mal@coxnet Spain Phone & Fax 34 96 678470 I email: [email protected] The Board ofDirectors: President: Prof. Armand Singer, [email protected] Past President: Dr. vVolfgang C Hellrigl Vice President: Mr. Dick van der Wateren Secretary: Mr. Colin T. Hepper Treasurer: Mr. Colin T. Hepper Auctioneer: Mr Leo Mal1yn Members at large: Mr. Christopher Kinch, Mr. Alan Warren Editor: Mr. Richard M. Hanchett Representatives: Europe: Mr. Colin T. Hepper - see address above Nepal: Mr. Surendra Lal Shrestha, G. P. O. Box 72, Kathmandu, epal USA Mr. Roger Skinner, 1020 Covington Road, Los Altos, CA 94024, USA Life Members Mario C. Barbiere, Jeremy Brewer, GeotTrey Flack, P. Gupta, Richard M. Hanchett, Wolfgang C Hellrigl, William Janson, Kenneth Javonovich, G. Lenser, Leo Mal1yn, R. Murray, Peter Planken, Barbara Praytor, Surendra Lal Shrestha, Roger Skinner, Dick van der Wateren, Alfonso G Zulueta Jr. New Members: 80 Christer Olsson, Munkebacksgatan 248, 416 53 Goteborg, Sweden Change of Address: Boon Tan, 1916 Applegate Lane, Edwardsville, IL 62025 USA Dropped for Non-Payment ofDues: Lost Members (Anyone knowing the address, please send it in) Publishing Schedule: Issue Cutoff for Articles Into Mail 124 - 4th Quarter 2005 [ ovember 19, 2005 December 03, 2005 \25 - 1st Quarter 2006 February 24, 2006 March 18, 2006 126 - 2nd Quarter 2006 June 02, 2006 June 20, 2006 127 - 3rd Quarter 2006 September 0 I, 2006 September 16,2006 TABLE: OF CONTE TS Officer's Corner Armand E Singer I Tibet to North Borneo Wolfgang Hellrigl 13 Editor's Ramblings Richard M Hanchett \ Chomorak Postmark Derrick Dawson 14 Chinese Imperial Post-Tibet Danny Wong 2 epal Post Offices Colin Hepper 15 Himalayan Phantasies Wolfgang Hellrigl 7 News from Kathmandu Surendra Lal Shrestha 16 Answer to a Question LaiTY Bowles 12 Book Review Colin Hepper 12 Officer's Corner Last year I did a short monograph on the essays revised numbering, etc. and proofs of Tibet. No sooner did it appear Next May 27 - June 3 will see the great than a new find of proof material hit the market. international stamp exhibition (4,000 frames) in New buyers of the monograph (published by Washington, D.e. We will have a meeting and Geoffrey Flack) can expect an additional page hope to have at least two exhibits accepted from ot two chronicling this rather remarkable find. among our circle. We expect a goodly showing Available soon. Why not ask Geoffrey to send of members, statewide and abroad. the extra sheets if you already have a copy? As of now, this is the event to schedule as it Bob Gould and I expect to have a second edition seems the philatelic adventure in Tibet and of our mountaineering cover catalog available Nepal, planned by Danny Wong for 2006, will by the end of the year (George Alevizos, not take place. If I get further information to the publisher). It will include a greatly expanded contrary, it will appear in future issues of PH. listing on non-Everest climbs, some additional Everest items, corrections, a few color pages, Armand E. Singer Editor's Ramblings I have had an email from Alan Warren, And while you are making you plans, please confirming that our meeting at Washington 2006 remember that London 2010 will soon be will be held on Monday, May 29 from 9:00 AM occurring, and we will, our course, have a until 12 noon. We do not yet know what room meeting there. If anyone knows of any other we will have. For any member who wishes to upcoming international exhibitions that any of make a presentation at our meeting, computer our members are planning to attend or to exhibit projection, slide projection and overhead at, I would be happy to publish the paIticulars if projection equipment will be available. If you you will communicate them to me. would like to make a presentation, please email Alan Warren ([email protected]) or postal mail This issue contains the first part of a three-part him (P 0 Box 39, Easton PA 19341-0039 USA) article by Danny Wong on the Chinese Imperial to let him know what kind of projection Post in Tibet. The second part will appear in PH equipment you will need and how long you will 124 and the third part in PH 125. This marks the take for your presentation. Once our time limit first time that color has been used on a cover by has been filled up, it will be to late to this editor. Do you like it and would you like me accommodate you, so please let him know as to continue to use color even if it eventually soon as possible. raised the cost of a subscription? Please note that there is no plan to raise the subscription cost. Let Also please note that some of the hotels close to me have your opinion. the Convention Center are already filled for the first weekend. If you are planning to attend, Please note Colin Hepper's new email address on please make your hotel reservations early!!! the inside front cover. Remember: Washington 2006, starting 27 May 2005 - NTPSC meeting Monday, 29 May 2005 0900-1200 LONDON 2010, date unknown but usually in May. There will be a NTPSC meeting Postal Himal No. 123 1 3rd Quarter 2005 CHINESE IMPERIAL POST IN TIBET Danny Kin-chi Wong After the imperial post came into being in agencies in Dangar, Zhanbo, Xiangtang, Guide 1896, it gradually expanded its geographic and Xunhua. Figure 4 is a 1910 cover from coverage from coastal cities into the inland. Sining to USA. The first Post Office serving a Tibetan town was With the 1904 Younghusband Expedition and open in Tatsinlu (Datsindo, or Kangting) in the establishment of British Post Offices in 1902, with a postal agency in Luding, prior to Tibet, China felt the pressing need to extend her the Younghusband Expedition. Then it postal service there. followed the Kham-Tsang Road westward to Batang in 1909. In Yunnan, Atuntse and Waixi Yatung Customs and the Post Office Post Offices were open along the Yunnan-Tibet Road. Figure 1 is a 1903 cover from Datsindo, Until 1911, the imperial postal service was the earliest recorded imperial cover from a managed by Customs, run by expatriate Tibetan town. Figure 2 is a 1909 cover from mandarins. In Tibet, the bond between the Post Waixi, Yunnan. The few surviving covers from Office and the Yatung Customs was very these remote locations were mainly sent by intimate. ffilsslOnaries to Yatung Customs their home was established abroad, testifying in 1894, as a to their pioneer result of Anglo spirit. Chinese For Tibetan Convention on tribal regions in Tibet and India, northern Sichuan, which opened a Post Office was Tibet to trade open in with British Maozhou, seat of India. The government, in communication 1903, with between Yatung agencies in Lifan, Customs and Waizhou, Beijing was Xinglong and primarily Songpan. Figure through post via 3 is a 1910 India. In the official cover beginning, all from Maozhou posts and parcels using combined went through the services of yi- care of the zhan (I-chang) Calcutta Branch and the Post of the Hongkong Office. In and Shanghai , - . Qinghai, Sining 100.-..... ..... "" -- Banking D;ltH1J4o"'YHho~"'Che:1:Jd(l .... (huq9!<''';j.1 Der 1903 Post Office was ... 5na"9hai. H Dec. 4S11Hl(jhi !;PO. 1" Dcc Corporation, open in 1907, Figure 1 -~YO~Oh:HT)~ i9 Pee. -JoNcw York, 9 )~n. 190..1 with whom the followed by Customs Postal Himal No. 123 2 3rd Quarter 2005 maintained banking facilities. Post Office, and he was also willing to provide In 1896, an Indian Post Office was opened in service to the public. Gnantang, Sikkim, a day's journey from After the 1904 Younghusband Expedition, the Yatung. Letters were relayed from there for a British opened a Post Office in Yatung. The brief period until it was closed late that year. Messenger from Yatung Customs was no longer Then, arrangement was made with Indian Post necessary, and the British Post Office delivered that all letters and parcels to Yatung and Tibet all mails to Chinese and Tibetan recipients in were to be relayed through the Post Office in Yatung to the Customs for onward delivery. Renok, Sikkim. A mailbag was to be ready Figure 5 is a 1909 cover sent from China every day in Renok, and once every three days through India to Tibet care of the Yatung ex-Dmjeeling, for pick up by messenger from Customs. Interestingly, it bears the cachet Yatung for onward delivery. Receipt of "CONTROLLER DES POSTES CHINE" on registered mail was to be signed by the reverse. messenger dispatched by the Commissioner of Little wonder that in 1910 the first Yatung Yatung Customs.