Altay, China

I got this card from ConEtoiles for the favorites tag. I've gotten a lot of beautiful cards from her and this is definitely one of my favorites. :) It shows Kanas Lake, among the Altai Mountains in the Xinjiang region of China. Many Tuvan and Kazakh people live in this area, keeping traditional agriculture and nomadic lifestyles alive. (According to Wikipedia.) A beautiful place I would love to visit someday.

I think this is a postal-issued card. The "stamp" on the right is the same image as the card and is preprinted. The one on the left is a takin (Budorcas taxicolor), or goat-antelope, native to the eastern Himalayas, issued in 2001.

I am totally confused as to Chinese postage rates. I've gotten cards from there sent with 3, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2, 4.5, 4.6, and 6 yuen in postage. 3 and 4.5 seem to be the most common. Are those economy and airmail rate differences?