National Postal Museum Opens Pacific Exchange: China & U.S. Mail

The “Pacific Exchange: China & U.S. Mail” exhibition has opened in the Postmasters Gallery of the National Postal Museum.

It tells the story of the Chinese and U.S. relationship through the unique lens of stamps and mail. U.S. artwork and die proofs related to China and the Lunar New Year are featured and organized into three thematic areas: commerce, culture and community. The sections about commerce and culture focus on the decades between 1860 and 1980; the section on community tells the story of Chinese Americans from the Gold Rush to today’s celebration of the Lunar New Year.

The U.S. and China are the world’s largest economies, and they share a complicated history. In recent years, about 2½ million Chinese have become avid stamp collectors.

Highlights of the exhibition include an 1849 letter to an American opium trader in Canton, very rare proofs of stamps from the China Bureau of Engraving and Printing (1912–1928), original artwork for U.S. Postal Service Lunar New Year postage stamps and the iconic map-design error of the People’s Republic of China, of which less than 10 are known to exist in private hands.

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000 or visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu