Taiwan Year of the Ox S/S FDCs

Taiwan Souvenir Sheet FDCs
Name: New Year's Greeting (Issue of 2008)
Date of Issue: 01 December 2008
Number: Sp.526

The upcoming Chinese lunar New Year will fall on January 26, 2009. It is the ji-chou year (ji is the sixth of the Ten Celestial Stems and chou is the second of the Twelve Terrestrial Branches and signifies the year of the ox).

Denominations:
NT$12.00: The sheet features a design suggestive of a yin and yang symbol composed of ripples of water, an ox and a leaf floating on water. The design, in conjunction with an expression meaning "a turn for the good" that begins with the two characters "niu-jhuan" (a homonym of "ox" plus the character for "turns"), implies that in the year of the ox the world will be renewed. On the left margin, the magpie with the tip of a plum tree symbolizes auspiciousness by suggesting the expression "joy rises to the tips of one's eyebrow" ("eyebrow" is a homonym with "plum" in Chinese). On the right margin there are three Chinese expressions about the New Year that convey the idea of joy. One of these is written as a work of calligraphy, whereas the other two have the look of printed impressions rendered from carved Chinese chops. The classic pink color scheme imparts a serene atmosphere to the sheet.

Comment: I have received two FDCs which were sent from 2 different post offices. The upper one was sent from a temporary post office, it has an illustrated cancellation on it. The nether one was sent from a post office, it has a "ox (牛)" word in the postmark (新竹牛埔).

2009 Year of the Ox
Canada FDC
China Stamp, Sheetlet II, Booklet.
Hong Kong Stamps FDC, Minisheet FDC, Souvenir Sheet FDC, Pre-stamped Postcard.
Indonesia Stamps FDC, Souvenir Sheet FDC.
Singapore Stamps FDC, Souvenir Sheet FDC.
Taiwan Stamps FDCs, Souvenir Sheet FDCs, Pre-stamped Postcards.
USA FDC