Lot# 9081

posted from Harbin on May 5, 1951, this cover was franked with 5 R series issues, totaling 17,200 yuan, correctly paying the postal rate composed of 2,500 yuan for the first 20g international surface postage, 10,500 yuan for the airmail surcharge per 10g to “Other Countries,” and 4,200 yuan for the registration fee, for a total of 17,200 yuan. It bears “Harbin 51.5.5” cds and a red “Harbin No.176” registration label. The letter was routed via Tientsin (May 7) and Canton (May 11), transferred through Hong Kong (unmarked), and arrived in Brisbane via Sydney on May 18, 1951. This item was mailed during the 2nd Postal Period (May 1 - June 30, 1951), when the sale of Northeast surcharge issues ceased and People’s Post stamps became the standard postage for accounting throughout the region. The cover represents an early airmail registered letter sent in the first month of People’s Post stamp usage in Northeast China, accurately rated and clearly routed. It vividly reflects the early period of the People’s Republic of China’s postal and currency unification, during which international airmail operations had resumed stable service. A particularly rare example addressed to Australia, this cover provides valuable evidence of China’s postal transition from regional to national systems, as well as the development of its early post-unification international airmail routes. It is a postal history item of exceptional research and exhibition significance.