Yes it’s the same. Shi.
I think it applies for Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese at least
I was even taught not to buy or give things in ‘4’
My mother disliked 4th of July which everyone celebrates here.
Even now when I see things packaged in 4 I’m like 
I saw this Postcard some years ago in a shop beneath the old Ferris Wheel in the Prater in Vienna. Of course I had to buy some!
I thought if i should buy some when the shops open again 
Thank you for clarification, that’s interesting to learn. 
When writing a postcard I normally use the Austrian “Servus” plus first name to address the recipient - and of course I explain the meaning of “servus” (hi).
I like to use stickers and I would like to know if a ladybug 
is a symbo of luck in all countries or if it has also a different meaning. Until now I avoid to use these stickers on postcards to non-european countries.
I can vouch for the US: it is indeed a symbol of luck here, especially if one lands on you. 
Is it because it is too formal and too much like a complaint letter to start with “Dear…”?
Even as a native Chinese speaker cannot tell in some situation… a character can be both surname/first name, so I’ll just write “Hello/Ni Hao”
There are more and more Hong Kong people who are proud of their local culture and they want to distinguish themselves from China culture. So here are some advise:
Don’t write China after Hong Kong at the address - this is not cultural/political issue, but mailing issue. Since the mailing system of two regions are not the same, it will make postcards mis-sent.
Write “Nei ho” (Cantonese, mother language of most HK-er) instead of “Ni hao” (Mandarin/Chinese)
“Hong Kong is a part of China.” - this is correct, but may not be friendly to HK-er (probably a similar situation when sending a card to Barcelona and write “Barcelona is a part of Spain”, hope this example explain.
Everyone knows Jackie Chan is popular but we prefer Bruce Lee 
I received one of these amazing stamps recently (the bottom middle, specifically):
They are huge and so cool! 
I often draw addresses from Hong Kong and Taiwan that include “R.O.C.” after the country. I always default to whatever address format the Postcrosser has provided, but in this case, should I not do this?
If you are writing to Switzerland, just remember that we are neither Sweden nor Swaziland. And if you address a woman, don’t use Fräulein or Frau - use “Ihre Majestät” instead.
Something I’ve noticed that Americans do more than most other countries is insert religion into everyday speech/writing. For example it is not uncommon for Americans to say or write “thank God”, “thank heaven”, “God bless you and have a nice day” and other similar phrases. Now, I don’t mind this, but I know that some folks find it uncomfortable or (in extreme cases) outright rude or blasphemous.
For Switzerland overall I can’t think of any other written, stylistic or symbolic missteps you could make. Technically using “Grüezi” as a greeting implies that you and the recipient are on formal terms, but in reality I am usually so pleased that someone from another country even knows that much about our tiny little culture that it warms the cheese wheel that I have as a heart.
(Don’t actually address anyone as “Ihre Majestät”, it means Your Majesty. On Postcrossing, use their first name or username)
Really? I have always thought it was more on the informal side of things and have been wondering if it wouldn’t be badly received if I used that greeting on the postcard.
I don’t think “thank God” is something religious, at least in my country. It’s just a phrase. We just say it when we feel happy. Even my atheist friend says “thank God” alot.
I don’t disagree with the first part, necessarily, but I think that there are major differences between the first two and the last one. I’m a totally non-religious American who says things like “thank god it stopped raining”. It’s not about religion, it’s just that “thank god” sounds better than “thank goodness” because that one sounds like you are religious and trying not to take the lord’s name in vain or something.
I would never ever say God bless you, though. That’s religious. (Unless you sneezed, which I wouldn’t know while writing a postcard to you. And even then I’d only say “bless you”.)
The earthquake damaged Anglican Christchuch Cathedral, Christchuch was build around 150 years ago. Swastikas in the tiled walls. I assumed is was a Christian symbol.
It’s a greeting that a Swiss would really only use if they are “per Sie” (on a last name basis) with the other person, whereas if they are “per du” (on a first name basis) then greetings such as Hoi, Hallo, Sali, Ciao or Salut are more common.
So formal in this sense is more about the relationship between the speaker and recipient and less about the situational context.
But as I said in my original post, it makes me really happy to see any Swiss phrase used, and I can’t imagine anyone getting upset that a sender used the “wrong” one 
I know and I agree, I use it too. I just meant to say that some people are a bit squeamish about it. I guess they feel like it shouldn’t be said so casually? I know a family that won’t let their kids watch Mamma Mia because the characters say “Oh my God”.
Yep, I agree. It’s just a regular interjection. “Thank god” carries the same weight as “I’m really glad”. But to some people it sounds like you’re super into Christianity, like if someone said to you “Praise Allah, we caught the bus!”, you might assume the speaker was devoutly Muslim.
I wasn’t trying to comment on whether or not “thank god” should or shouldn’t be used, I just wanted to let Americans (who, in general, casually use words of religious origin more often than other cultures) know that “Thank god, it stopped raining” and “Thankfully, it stopped raining” will probably mean the same thing to them, but not necessarily to everyone else. Hope I explained myself better this time 
I am not religious and I use “thank goodness” to indicate that 1) I’m not religious 2) I respect other people’s right to religion so I don’t try to offend them and 3) I’m often in a situation where I don’t know other people’s religion(s) so if they’re Christian or Muslim or Hindu or Pagan or any number of other things, I don’t want to appear like I’m invoking the wrong deity. If most people are actually assuming that I’m Christian because I say “thank goodness”, then maybe I should try to find an alternative phrase to use.
I have a feeling that most Postcrossers are pretty open minded and realize that cultural norms vary throughout the world, so they’re less likely to take offense than people with a more limited outlook.
Now I’m trying to remember if I wrote “happy new year” in red on postcards I sent to China and Japan… 
