Peking University Library, Beijing, China

Outgoing postcard US-3368775 to Ohio shows the Peking University Library at the Peking University's main campus in Beijing, China. Its predecessor, the Imperial University library, was founded in 1902. Peking University, along its library, moved from downtown to the former Yenching University campus during the university re-grouping in 1952. The main building opened in 1975 at the center of the campus. A new building, shown on the postcard, was added in 1998. It holds 5.3 million books, among of which are 1.5 million ancient books and 170,000 rare books and special collections.

Peking University, a major research university and the first modern national university in China that was founded as the "Imperial University of Peking" in 1898, celebrates its 117th anniversary and the Homecoming Day on May 4th, 2015.

Qianshan Mountains in China

China Post issued its second series of Landscape Stamped Postcards between 1995 and 2003. In all, nineteen sets of stamped cards had been issued over the nine years, with identification numbers starting with "FP". Each edition has A series with pre-printed domestic postage and B series with international postage.

Postcard CN-1510270 from China was one of the ten postcards from FP6(B) Liaoning Scenery issued in 1998. It shows Qianshan Mountains (千山), a National-level Scenic and Historic Interest Area which is equivalent to a national park. Located 17 kilometers or 10.6 miles southeast to Anshan City, Liaoning Province with a total area of 44 square kilometers or 11,000 acres, it is a branch of the Changbai Mountains on the China-North Korea border. It is the location of a mainstream Taoist shrine. Yiphinwai from Malaysia also recorded a copy from Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China.

The pre-printed postage on the right shows the International postcard rate at 4.20 Chinese Yuan in 1998

Yakushi-ji, Nara, Japan

Postcard JP-616307 from Japan shows Yakushi-ji (薬師寺) in Nara, one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan. The temple was established in 680 C.E. (the Common Era) and was name after Yakushi Nyorai (藥師琉璃光如來), "the Medicine Buddha", who was one of first Buddhist Deities to arrive in Japan from China. Yakushi-ji is one of the eight places that are collectively recognized as the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara" World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.

Love is a Force of Nature

I got this Brokeback Mountain movie promotional card during its Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival premiere at Cinema Paradiso in 2005. The movie told a powerful story of two young men, a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who sheepherded in the Wyoming mountains in the summer of 1963 and formed a life-long bond with love and conflicts.

Sixteen years ago today on October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a student at the University of Wyoming, was beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming. He was targeted and attacked by two men because he was gay. His death from severe head injuries six days later brought national and international attention to hate crime legislation. However, it wasn't until October 2009 that the United States Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. President Barack Obama signed the "Matthew Shepard Act" into law on October 28, 2009.

Today on October 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review those cases where state laws banning same-sex marriage were overturned by federal appeals courts, which resulted immediate recognition of same-sex marriage in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. Wyoming could see same-sex marriages recognized by the end of this year as it was covered by the same circuit appeals courts as Utah and Oklahoma. Five additional states: North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Colorado, and Kansas, are also covered.

The card was sent in to obtain a first-day-of-issue postmark on a Harvey Milk Forever Stamp on July 21, 2014, along with other first-day-of-issue postmark and digital color postmarks. It took two months for the fulfilled order to be returned on September 23, 2014.

Flower Carpet at the Grand Place, Brussels

Postcard BE-230026 from Belgium shows the Flower Carpet in 2010 at the Grand Place, central square of Brussels. The Grand Place is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

The Flower Carpet on the Grand Place in its present-day form was first created in 1971 by the landscape architect E. Stautemans, You can watch a YouTube video to see how the 2010 Flower Carpet was made. You can find more information about the Flower Carpet from their website online.

The sender also offers six things you need to survive in Brussels:

1. comfortable shoes (hilly)
2. sunshades (weather changes in 10 minutes)
3. umbrella (weather changes in 10 minutes)
4. big scarf (weather changes in 10 minutes)
5. sense of humor (lots of absurdity, but it works out in the end)
6. photo camera or sketchbook (it's a beautiful city)

The postcard also bears a beautiful postmark.

Ronald Reagon and DCA

Ronald Reagon Washington National Airport (DCA)

Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, passed away 9 years ago on June 5, 2004,  after having suffered from Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade. I received a card US-2060886 showing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that was renamed from Washington National in 1998 to honor the former U.S. President. 

In the same year of 1998, Florida's Turnpike was designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway, by the Florida Legislature. There is a List of Things named after Ronald Reagan on Wikipedia.