This 5 centimes green stamp represents the very first issue of the French colonial post offices in China, released in 1894. Originally a definitive from the French mainland's Type Sage series, it features the allegorical figures of Peace and Commerce, designed by Jules Auguste Sage and engraved by Louis-Eugène Mouchon. The stamp was typographed on greenish paper and surcharged with the red word "Chine" to denote its validity within French postal agencies across treaty ports in China. Issued during a period of expanding French influence in East Asia, this piece served the lowest letter rates for local correspondence. The overprint is clean and bold, and this particular example is cancelled in Shanghai with a visible circular datestamp marked "SHANG-HAI / CHINE" and a partial year reading “01”. The back shows a classic repair with transparent hinge tape, common in used examples from this period. Catalogued as Michel FR-CH 1, Scott FR-CH 1, Yvert FR-CH 1, and SG FR-CH 1. Estimate "$50 – 65