Manchurian Local Overprints 1945 - 1947

Guandong

關東

Port Arthur & Dairen
(Former Kwantung Leased Territory)

It should be noted that the Kwantung Leased Territory was never a part of Manchukuo and this was the only area other than Manchukuo in which the stamps from Manchukuo were used.

All stamps used were from captured stocks and so were either Japanese or those of the 4th or 5th regular issue from Manchukuo. The first three sets of overprinted stamps issued by the Russians were overprinted 遼寧郵政 meaning Liaoning Postal Administration. It was originally intended that the whole Liaoning district was to be governed by a single postal administration. This did not happen.

Some Liaoning post overprinted stamps were issued outside of Kwantung, Kerr lists these as Pen Ki locals, also a series overprinted 遼西地區 West Liaoning Prefecture which Kerr lists under Liao Si. Kerr had some doubts about the validity of both sets and it seems they were only used within Liaoning.

 This Chinese administration set up the LUDA posts, derived from LUshun (the Chinese name of Port Arthur) and DAlien. The title of this administration was 旅大解放区邮政管理局（Luda Jiefang Qu Youzheng Guanli Ju）= "Liberated zone of Luda Directorate General of Post-Services". The Chinese continued to overprint stamps of Manchukuo and the work of overprinting was given to the Taitung Daily Press and the overprints were neatly typeset.

The last overprinted stamp from Manchukuo is thought to have been issued in March 1949 and is surcharged 50 yuan (in black) on a 1f brown of the 1936 fourth regular issue.

The Soviets shared control of Port Arthur with the Chinese Communists from August 1945 to May 1950, they controlled the financial matters of the city. The Soviet banknotes for the Kwantung Bank (Luda zone) where designed and printed by the Russians so they are very European in style, all other financial material was Russian supervised.

Stocks of this label were surcharged and used as shown above due to a shortage of stamps after the war.

15th November 1948 - Surcharged stamps overprinted in red and green to promote the Kwantung Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition.

These stamps have been identified by using Yang's Postage Stamp Catalogue of The Peoples Republic of China (Liberated Areas) by N. C. Yang. This well illustrated book is essential for anyone wishing to find a value for these stamps, some of which are very rare.