Leading Supply Of Collection, Stamps, Old Coins, Chinese Paper Cut, Collection Tools, etc.

The Republic of China was established in 1911. After the Northern Expedition against the warlords in its early days and the Sino-Japanese War that culminated with World War II, the nation has served as a bulwark of democracy in Asia. And thus, Chinese culture has been inherited and enhanced. In 1949 the government moved to Taiwan, where, under the leadership of President Chiang Kai-shek and President Chiang Ching-kuo, the government laid the foundations for a strong economy, government, educational system and culture. In 1988, when President Chiang Ching-kuo passed away, Lee Teng-hui took over and continued pressing ahead with economic development. In 1996, the nation held its first direct presidential election, and Lee was elected to another term. During that term, the ninth in the history of the ROC presidency, Lee pressed forward with democratic reforms. When Chen Shui-bian took over as president in 2000, it marked another milestone in the history of the nation - the first democratic transfer of power between political parties.

This year, which is the 90th in the history of Republic of China, the Directorate General of Posts has selected four topics - infrastructure, technology, culture and environmental protection - for a set of four stamps entitled "90th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of China Commemorative Issue." The set will be released on October 9, and will include two stamps with NT$5.00 denominations, and two other stamps, valued at NT$12.00 and NT$15.00 respectively. The first NT$5.00 stamp will show the second terminal at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport; the second NT$5.00 stamp will feature high-tech products produced in Taiwan; the NT$12.00 stamp will depict its theme of culture by showing a dance performance at the National Theater and the NT$15.00 stamp, which is on the theme of environmental protection, will show dolphins playing off the sea near Taiwan. The stamps have been painted by Mr. Yeh Kuo-sung and are being printed in color deep-etch offset by China Color Printing Co., Ltd.

First-day covers, folders with and without crystal mounts and loose-leaf album pages will be released along with the stamps. These will go on sale on October 5, 2001. Pre-cancelled FDCs with the full set of stamps or with just one lower-value stamp will go on sale on October 9, 2001, the stamps' date of issue. For further information, please refer to the upcoming Philatelic Bulletin or Postal Service Today.

Founded in 1915 in Detroit, U. S. A. and now headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kiwanis International is a world service organization pushing for progress in local communities. Kiwanis is a civic organization that pools resources of many people to serve society. Members of Kiwanis International volunteer in their spare time. There are currently more than 320,000 members of some 8,700 Kiwanis clubs in 118 countries around the world. Early on, the group focused on helping handicapped children. Since 1923, the headquarters has drawn up a theme every year to expand the scope of its service. In 1967, the first Kiwanis club in Taiwan was established in Taipei. Since then, other Kiwanis clubs have been established, one after another, across the country. In 1973, Kiwanis International R.O.C. was founded. In 1977 Kiwanis International, in a show of support, elevated the International R.O.C. branch to the level of district headquarters.