Lot# 9005

airmail cover sent from Shanghai to Wellington, franked with seven East China Liberated Area stamps, totaling 10,800 yuan (RMB), tied by “Shanghai 50.2.7” cds. Although the cover bears no Canton transit marking, the mail was most likely routed via Hong Kong, then conveyed by Qantas Airways through Sydney to New Zealand. This cover was posted during the First Postal Tariff Period of the RMB postal system (1-9 February 1950) , a very short period lasting only nine days, during which surviving covers are extremely scarce. The postage was correctly paid according to the official rate: international surface letter (first 20 grams) 1,800 yuan, plus airmail surcharge for “Other Countries” (non-Asian destinations) 9,000 yuan per 10 grams, totaling 10,800 yuan. This short-lived rate period had long been misdated as beginning on 10 February, but this cover provides conclusive evidence of the correct early date for the First Postal Tariff Period. It also reflects the transitional phase of the early RMB postal system, when Hong Kong played a vital role as the main international airmail transit hub for the newly established People’s Republic of China. A precisely rated and clearly postmarked cover, in excellent preservation, it stands as a rare and important postal history example of early PRC airmail to Oceania, offering significant value for both research and exhibition.