0854 TAIWAN - Dragon and Tiger Pagodas

Located at Lotus Lake, the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas is a temple built in 1976, representative of traditional Kaohsiung culture. The seven storey tower has yellow walls, red pillars and orange tiles. The dragon's throat is the entrance and the lion's mouth is the exit. Entering a dragon's throat and coming out a lion's mouth symbolizes turning bad luck to good fortune. There are paintings inside the temple depicting Ksitigarbha. In the Tiger Tower, there are paintings of twelve Magi and the Jade Emperor's thirty palaces as well as paintings of Confucius. The towers have a double spiral staircase, one each for ascending and descending visitors.

About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the series Herb Plants issued on June 11, 2013, consisting of four stamps:
• Peppermint - Mentha × piperita (5 TWD) - it's on the postcard
• Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis (5 TWD)
• Pineapple sage - Salvia elegans (12 TWD)
• Yomogi - Artemisia indica (15 TWD)

The second stamp is part of the third set dedicated to the wild mushrooms of Taiwan, issued on July 24, 2013. The stamps was painted by ecological painter Mr. Chi-jen Lai, who focused this time on four high altitude wild mushrooms:
• Clustered coral - Ramaria botrytis (5 TWD) - it's on the postcard
• Black morel - Morchella elata (5 TWD)
• Woolly chanterelle - Gomphus floccosus (12 TWD)
• Orange Peel Fungus - Aleuria aurantia (12 TWD)

The last stamp is part of a set which belongs to a large series of definitive stamps dedicated to the Taiwan birds. This set was issued on January 30, 2008, and consists of four stamps:
• Bronzed Drongo - Dicrurus aeneus (1 TWD)
• Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach (2.50 TWD) - it's on the postcard
• Grey Treepie - Dendrocitta formosae (10 TWD)
• Light-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus sinensis (32 TWD)

References
Dragon and Tiger Pagodas - Wikipedia

Sender: Chen Ze-yu (postcrossing)
Sent from ? (Taiwan), on 07.10.2013