4284 - Jixi, Heilongjiang, China

A beautiful card from Jixi, in north east China. Jixi 鸡西 has a population of 1.5 million people. It is 30 kilometres from the border of Russia. It is an important coal mining base in China.

Zhenbao Island 珍宝岛 is located near Jixi and was the site of a territorial dispute with the Soviet Union in 1969. The island is located on the Ussuri River.

On 2 March 1969, People's Liberation Army
soldiers ambushed Soviet border guards on Zhenbao. The Soviets suffered 58 dead and wounded, while the Chinese reported 29 dead (the Soviets claim it was 248 Chinese soldiers killed, and 32 Soviet border guards killed with 14 wounded). On 15 March, Chinese artillery fire bombarded the island forcing the Soviet to leave. The Soviets counterattacked with tanks and mechanized infantry and artillery, forcing the Chinese to retreat. There were a few small skirmishes after that.

On 21 March, the Soviets tried to call China to discuss a ceasefire. Mao refused the take the call. Mao began to prepare for war with the Soviet Union. Diplomacy by many countries

In 1991, the Sino-Soviet Border Agreement was signed between China and the Soviet Union. There was some minor territorial changes along the border. China received Zhenbao Island in the treaty and Soviet troops withdrew. Today it is a wetlands national nature reserve.

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3566 - Bakhmach, Chernihiv, Ukraine

Bakhmach is locarted in northern Ukraine. I'm taking this next paragraph straight out of Wikipedia: During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 26, 2022, at least 65 units of Russian military equipment moved through Bakhmach, with about a hundred more on the outskirts. Local residents tried to stop the convoy on their own by blocking tank tracks with makeshift objects and convincing Russian soldiers not to move towards Kyiv . One man attempted to climb onto a tank and block the road with his body (he was not hurt). However, the military equipment continued to move, and Russian forces fired several shots into the air. Слава Україні!

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

A wonderful message on this card that translates to to those wh o can wait, everything comes with time.

2352 - Cologne (Köln), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Cologne is home to the twelve Romanesque churches. All are Catholic churches and all are found in Altstadt (old town). All were severely damaged during the 262 Allied air raids on Cologne. All twelves have been restored. St. Andreas was consecrated in 974. The crypt of the church as a sarcophagus that dates back to the third century and it holds the remains of St. Albertus Magnus, who died in 1280. St. Apostein was consecrated in the 800s. St. Cecilia was built in the 800s and it the current home of the Schnutgen Museum for Medieval Art. It still holds Catholic Mass on rare occasions. St. Georg's was built near the end of 1000s. It was extensively restored after the Second World War. St. Gerion's was established in 612. St. Kunibert was consecrated in 1247. Cunibert, the 9th Bishop of Cologne, is buried here. St. Maria im Kapital was built between 1040-1065. It was also heavily damaged during the war and restoration was finally completed in 1984. St. Maria Lyskirchem is the ...

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