To honor the contributions that the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China has made to the nation and the society over the past century, Chunghwa Post is issuing a set of two stamps to commemorate its 100th anniversary. The stamps will be printed in se-tenant format. At the center of each stamp is a symmetrical, warmly colored heart with an overprint of the emblem and mission statement of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Universality, Humanity and Voluntary Service). Within the heart of one of the stamps is a design that shows people joyously welcoming the 100th birthday of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China, symbolizing the hopes and happiness that the Red Cross brings to the world by respecting life and alleviating human suffering. The design within the heart of the other stamp depicts Red Cross training in first aid, emergency care, lifeguard skills, and CPR, and it also depicts the Red Cross providing relief services. Established in 1904, the Shanghai Chapter of the International Committee of the Red Cross (the forerunner of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China) was founded by local Chinese and foreign nationals to help and provide medical care for soldiers wounded in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Later its name was changed to the Red Cross Society of the Ching and the Red Cross Society of China. In January 1933, it changed its name again and became the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China. It is the oldest non-governmental organization in the modern history of China, engaging in such services as disaster relief, emergency care training, health care, social services and humanitarian relief. In 1954, the government formulated the “The Regulations Governing the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China,” which proclaimed that in accordance with the Geneva Convention (to which the R.O.C. was a signatory) and under the spirit of the principles set forth by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China would aim at developing humanitarian services. With its extensive networks, the Red Cross Society has penetrated communities both urban and rural. For a century, whether on the frontlines during wartime or at the site of disasters, it has never failed to lend a helping hand. Early on, it organized health-care teams to tour the nation in order to improve the health of all citizens; in the 1960s it started to offer various kinds of training; in the 1980s it assisted in providing many non-governmental services across the Taiwan Strait, helping people to find relatives as well as to communicate with them and visit them, witnessing deportations and disaster relief; in the 1990s it began to dedicate itself to providing disaster relief and helping the disadvantaged. It strives to attain the goal of “Wherever there is suffering, there is the Red Cross Society; and wherever there is the Red Cross Society, there is hope.”