1996-28, City Outlook (Joint issue by China and Singapore)《城市风光》

Stamp Title: City Outlook (Joint issue by China and Singapore)
Scott No: 2733, 2734
Serial number: 1996-28
Values in set: 2
(2-1), Scenes of Singapore, 20 fen, 50*30mm
(2-2), Panmen Gate of Suzhou, 290 fen, 50*30mm
Date of issue: October 9, 1996
Designers: Jiang Zhinan
Size: 50*30mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 16
Printing process: gravure

Singapore, the capital of the Singapore Republic, is an important strategic point in the strait between the Indian Ocean and the South Sea. A deep-water port, Singapore boasts of the largest port in Southeast Asia. It is one of the largest commercial centers in the world and it is well-known as the “Garden City”. Singaporeans are mainly Chinese. After the Second World War, Singapore¡¯s economy developed and at present it has approached developed and industrialized countries in comprehensive national strength.

The famous architectures and scenic spots include: Victoria Memorial Hall, Raffles the City Hall, Van Cleef Aquarium, Haw Par Villa, Jurong Chinese and Japanese Gardens, Sentosa and Singapore Botanical Garden, etc.

Suzhou, a Chinese city with a long history, is famous for its scenic gardens. A city under the direct jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province, Suzhou is in Jiangsu, in the center of the Taihu Plain, which is crisscrossed with rivers, rivulets, lakes and ponds. It is located in the place where the Jinghang Canal and the Jinghu Railway meet. In the 12th year of King Ling of Zhou Dynasty (560 BC), King Zhu Fan of Wu Kingdom moved the capital here and built the Wuzi City. The in the 6th year of King Jing of Zhou Dynasty (514 BC), King He Lu of the Wu Kingdom sent his official Wu Zixu to build here He Lu Grand City, which set the foundation for today’s Suzhou. In the 25th year of Qin Dynasty (222 BC), the place where today’s Suzhou is located was governed as Wu County under Huiji Prefecture. It was renamed as Suzhou in the 9the year of kai Huang of Sui Dynasty (589 AD), and another name for the city was Gusu. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Suzhou was called the Prefecture of Pingjiang, and in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, Suzhou Prefecture. As one of China’s silk production centers, Suzhou began to export silk products to Japan, Persia, Arab and Korea in the 3rd century. Handicraft industries include Suzhou embroidery, Suzhou fans, Suzhou carvings and Suzhou prints, while the advanced modern industries in the city are textile, electronics, instrument and meters machinery and construction material.

A typical city of rivers and lakes in south of the Yangtze River, Suzhou preserves nearly 100 renowned scenic spots, including gardens such as Canglang (Surging Wave ) pavilion of the Song Dynasty, Shizi (Lion) Grove of the Yuan Dynatry, the Zhuozhengyuan (Humble Administrator’s Garden) of the Ming Dynasty, Wangshi Garden, the Liu Yuan (Garden for Lingering), Xi (West) Garden of the Qing Dynasty, the King Zhong’s Palace of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-64), Other resorts include Huqiu, Xuanmiao Temple and Hanshan Temple.

1996年特种邮票《城市风光》
国家邮政局1996年10月9日发行《城市风光》特种邮票1套2枚。（与新加坡联合发行）
（2-1）T 新加坡景色 20 分 3775.3万枚
（2-2）T 苏州盘门 290 分 2564.1万枚

志号名称：1996-28T
版别：影写
整版枚数：16 枚
全套面值：3.10元
邮票规格：50 × 30毫米
齿孔度数：11度
设计者：蒋智南
印制机构：北京邮票厂

新加坡位于马来半岛南端，包括新加坡岛和附近的40多个岛屿，扼太平洋和印度洋的咽喉。面积618平方公里，新加坡岛最大，占全国面积的91.6%。人口276万，华人约占76%，其余为马来人、印度人等种族。马来语、华语、泰米尔语和英语为官方语言。1965年正式独立。 新加坡是一个多元文化的移民国家，促进种族和谐是政府治国的核心政策，新加坡以稳定的政局、廉洁高效的政府而著称，是全球最国际化的国家之一。1971年，新加坡在第26届联大投票支持恢复我国在联合国的合法席位，驱逐蒋邦的提案。1990年10月3日两国建交。20多年来，两国的友好关系不断发展，彼此的友谊日益加深，中国与新加坡有着十分相近的文化传统和密切的交往，中新两国联合发行同图邮票的举措，便是这种关系的一个见证，是两国在邮政领域合作的结晶。

1996年10月9日，根据中新两国邮政部门的协商，为增进两国邮政事业交流，宣传各自的城市特色，邮电部与新加坡邮政部门联合发行了《城市风光》特种邮票，全套2枚。