China's Foreign Places

Who, except for perhaps collectors of postage stamps, today gives a second thought to – or has even heard of – Amoy, Chefoo or Kiautschou? These places, and a great many others, had at one time enough foreign presence – consulates, for example – to warrant enough attention from postal authorities to merit overprints if not actual stamps of their own. Of course, the fact that these pieces of paper were issues by European rather than Chinese authorities is itself an indication of the peculiarity of the situation.