Incredible Chinese Stamp Museum

Editor's Note: Asia Obscura's Andy Deemer has been kind enough to let us rummage through his archives for some of his best posts from his Beijing days. We're sharing them here to give you some inspiration to get out and explore our city.

I’m not a stamp geek.  My dad is, my nephew is… but to be perfectly honest, I had some low expectations for the Beijing Stamp Museum.  Even with free admission, four floors, over one million stamps, and “for rent” magnifying glasses, Michelle and I were the only visitors.

But I have to admit, this museum is insane.  Michelle literally had to drag me out of there.  I wished I had a tripod.  I wished I had a videocamera.  I could have spent all day in there.  Yes, there’s a lot of trash, but the history of China through stamps?  Unmissable!

So, to spread the philatelic love, here are my 13 favorites in order…. 

13. Sports
China loves its sports.  Mao was determined to prove that China was not the “weak man of Asia,” and you can see this insecurity everywhere in the country.  Billboards, banners, statues of Adonis-esque athletes.  My nearest subway stop is plastered in a glorious mosaic of sportsmen and women.  (My favorite Chinese movies are mostly sports films.)  So it’s not surprising that a bunch of the stamps would focus on sports.

Read the rest of this post at AsiaObscura.

Photos: Andy Deemer