Chinese Imperial Post T-shirt
by William
(San Francisco)
Chinese Imperial Post T-shirt
(CafePress)
The Imperial Chinese Post dates from the mid-19th Century until 1911, when the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty was overthrown by Sun-Yat-Sen and became the Republic of China.
These Officilly Sealed labels were used by the post office when they came across an unsealed letter. Envelopes in use then did not have gum; rather you would go to a Chinese Post Office and find a desk with a glue pot and seal your letters before posting.
Didn't put glue on? Your letter would probably have had one of these seals on it, courtesy of the Imperial Chinese Post Office.
These days, you can set the seal on your attire with a Chinese Imperial Post T-shirt or other item. Great gifts for China stamp collectors! Find more at StampGiftShop.com.