First Issues - China

page 5

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Chinese Provinces

			✓
Sinkiang	Yunnan	Manchuria, Kirin & Heilungchang	Szechwan
1915 SG1 Sc1	15th August 1926 SG1 Sc1	18th March 1927 SG1 Sc1	1933 SG1 Sc1

As noted in the introduction, in the first half of 20th century, internal unrest was caused by growing communist factions that eventually took power after WW2 but in the meantime give rise to fragmented and localised postal services.

There is broad agreement between Gibbons and Scott on the listings: Manchuria (1927), Sinkiang (1915), Szechwan (1933) and Yunnan (1926) (Gibbons subdivides Manchuria between Kirin & Heilungchangand and a 1946 entry for North-Eastern Provinces, but I will leave the latter to one side for now).

In all four cases, Gibbons cites financial problems as the reason for the separate issue, the local currency losing value against standard silver coinage.

All the issues are overprints with three selling for around $1/20c and Manchuria for $7/70c.

Japanese Occupation

Manchukuo

first issue 26th July 1932 SG1 Sc1	variant 1934 SG23 Sc37	Commemorative First anniv. of the republic 1933 SG19 Sc19	Empire 1934 SG32 Sc32	Airmail 1936 SG93 Sc-C1

After the Russo-Japanese War, Japan took over the lease of Port Arthur and Dairen from Russia and stationed troops in the area to guard the South Manchurian Railway. In 1931 the troops seized the whole of Manchuria and declared it independent as Manchukuo in 1932. At first a state, Pu Yi (the last emperor of China) was appointed Chief Executive and in 1934 enthroned as emperor.
The first issue, depicting the White Pagoda, Liaoyang, has five characters in the top banner reading 'Manchu State Postal Administration', while the 1934 varient with six characters reads 'Manchu Empire Postal Administration'.

Occupation Issues

Kwangtung	Mengkiang	North China	Nanking and Shanghai	North-Eastern Provinces
13th June 1942 SG1 Sc1N1	first overprint 1st July 1941 SG1A Sc2N1	first overprint 1941 SG Sc	first overprint 23rd December 1941 SG1 Sc	first overprint February 1946 SG1 Sc1
	first real stamp 16th April 1943 SG104 Sc2N94	first real stamp 30th March 1945 SG194 Sc8N109	first real stamp 30th March 1944 SG114 Sc9N101	first real stamp Dr. Sun Yat-sen 1946 SG17 Sc12

Gibbons identifies four areas of occupation during WW2. All begin with overprints and that is as far as Kwangtung gets, but the other WW2 entries managed real stamps and those are sought too.
There are numerous local subdivisions for North China, but those are beyond the scope of this exercise: the stamp shown is for ??? (maybe the general issue SG85 Sc8N1).
It is difficult to tie up the initial Nanking and Shanghai issues between Gibbons and Scott and so the stamp to be sought and shown has not yet been decided.
Scott's sensible positioning of the Northeastern Provinces issues here rather than with the earlier provincials is followed.

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