First Day Cover of 2004 Matzu National Scenic Area Stamps. Formosa(Taiwan), Rep of China.
The photo is only for your reference. The FDC you receive might have different cachet or additional stamps( for suitable postage fee) & maybe with address.
An archipelago scattered off shore from the Mouth of Min River in Fuchien Province on the Mainland, Matzu Is. spans 54 kilometers from north to south. Among its major islands (Nangan, Beigan, Tungchu, Sijyu and Tungyin), Nangan is the largest in area, followed by Beigan. In 1999, the Executive Yuan approved the creation of a Matzu National Scenic Area, which covers Nangan, Beigan, Jyuguang and Tungyin Rural Townships of Lianjiang County.
The stamps are individually described below:
(1) Nangan’s Iron Fort: Nangan’s Iron Fort was carved out of an off-shore granite reef outcropping, located on the west side of Renai Village below the coastal road leading to Jingsha. Once regarded as having strategic military importance, it features tunnels, loopholes and crenels, cannon carriages, and underground chambers used as bedrooms, lavatories and kitchens. It is open for visits all day long and charges no admission.
(2) Beigan’s Cinbi Village: Located on the north side of Beigan Island, between Mount Cin and Mount Bi, Cinbi Village is the most well preserved and representative of traditional Eastern Fuchien style villages in the Matzu area. The granite single-family two-story houses here are built on the side of hills. Their red-tile roofs are weighted down with large rocks and their windows are mostly high and small.
(3) Tungchu’s Fujheng Village: Located below Tungchu Tao Lighthouse, it is one of the two villages in Tungchu. It was once a typical fishing village. Now most of its residents have moved out, leaving only these eastern-Fuchien-style houses scattered among the weeds.
(4) Tungyin’s Lienyuyikeng (Virtuous Woman’s Fjord): Located between Tungyin beach and Tungyin Tao Lighthouse, the fjord of Lienyuyikeng is over a hundred meters deep. Reputedly, during the late Cing dynasty, a fisherman’s wife jumped off the cliff here to save her honor. In her memory, people named this place Lienyuyikeng, which means “virtuous woman’s fjord.” Walls and railings have now been installed for visitors to enjoy this unique natural scenery.
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