China Stamps: 2009-17

China Stamps
Name: Stork Tower and Golden Gate (China - Ukraine Jointly Issue)
Number: 2009-17
Date of Issue: 14 August 2009
Value: 2 stamp/set

Denominations:
1.20元 (2-1): Stork Tower
The Stork Tower, originally located on the bank of the Yellow River in the western suburbs of Puzhou Ancient Town in China's Shanxi Province, was first built during the Northern Zhou Dynasty (557-581), destroyed by war fire in the early Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), and renovated in 2002. It was so named because of the storks inhabiting here when it was newly erected. One of the "Four Great Towers of Ancient China", the tower is a symbolic structure in the Yellow River Valley, and its fame increased dramatically thanks to the poem "Ascending the Stork Tower", attributed to noted Tang Dynasty poet Wang Zhihuan.

1.20元 (2-2): Golden Gate
The Golden Gate, erected during the 11 Century, was the main gala entrance to the ancient Ukrainian city of Kiev. So named because of the gilded dome of Annunciation Church, it is one of the very few well-preserved buildings dating to the period of Prince Jaroslav Moudry.