Tianjin Postal Museum

Tianjin Postal Museum

Tianjin Postal Museum is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a patriotic education base.

Tianjin Postal Museum is located at No. 111 Jiefang Road, Heping District, with an exhibition area of approximately 1,500 square meters. It is divided into four major exhibition halls: the Preface Hall, the Postal Relay and Other Communication Organizations Hall, the Postal Service Hall, and the Philatelic Hall. The exhibits are divided into five historical periods: the ancient postal relay era, the early modern postal service establishment period, the Qing Dynasty Postal Service period, the Chinese Postal Service period, and the People's Postal Service period.

Through texts, physical objects, photographs, statues, and other display methods, the exhibition halls introduce the century-long historical changes of Tianjin’s postal service and showcase the unique cultural charm of the postal industry.

The museum’s collection includes precious cultural relics such as “cart rut stones” from the Qin and Han dynasties, “brick paintings” from the Tang dynasty, the “Grand Council” postmarked envelopes from the early days of the modern postal service, the “mail transport carts” from the Chinese Postal Service period, as well as a large number of stamps and philatelic items — among which are historic treasures such as China’s first set of stamps, the "Large Dragon" stamps. The display of these artifacts places Tianjin Postal Museum at the forefront nationally in terms of both exhibit content and scale. It is also the only industry-specific museum in the Tianjin area, playing a positive role in promoting and shaping postal culture and enhancing the brand image of the postal service.

The Feyerl Manuscript — The “Feyerl Manuscript” is a handwritten document left by Feyerl, a German employee of the Qing Dynasty’s Chinese Maritime Customs Printing Office. The Qing postal service began issuing stamps in 1878, and by 1911 had issued stamps such as the Large Dragon stamps, Small Dragon stamps, Empress Dowager Cixi’s Birthday Commemorative stamps, and Coiled Dragon stamps. The Feyerl Manuscript is an invaluable historical relic in the history of Chinese postage, and remained hidden for a century before resurfacing in 1991. It was displayed at the 2003 Asian Stamp Exhibition in Mianyang, Sichuan, where it was guarded 24/7 by two armed police officers.

Red Revenue Small One Dollar — The national treasure-level stamp “Red Revenue Small One Dollar,” brought specially from Beijing, is part of its famous block of four stamps, often hailed as the “King of Chinese Stamps.” In the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign (1897), shortly after the establishment of the Qing postal service, high-denomination stamps were in short supply due to the launch of remittance, parcel, and insured mail services. As a temporary solution, unused revenue stamps from the Shanghai Customs Printing Office were overprinted for use as stamps. Among them, 50 small-character “One Dollar” stamps were printed, but due to the small size of the “One Dollar” characters, it was decided to print larger characters instead. It is confirmed that only 30 “Red Revenue Small One Dollar” stamps survive today, and only one old stamp with the Bagua cancellation mark exists — a unique surviving piece.

Ancient “Cart Rut Stones” — The “cart rut stones” from the ancient JiXian postal road in Hebei Province during the Qin and Han dynasties date back over a century earlier than the Roman roads; various buttons from Qing postal uniforms engraved with the character “邮” (mail), representing different ranks and roles; the old postal passport from the 24th year of Guangxu, postal mailboxes from the Qing postal service, vests marked with different characters for mail carriers and letter carriers, Qing postal cancellations, and receipts given to recipients by the Qing postal service... All offer insight into how Tianjin became the birthplace of modern postal service in China...

On October 9, 2010, Tianjin Postal Museum officially opened to the public. The completion of the postal museum provides a venue for philatelists to visit and learn, and becomes a new tourist attraction in Tianjin. While helping shape the image of Tianjin as the birthplace of modern Chinese postal service, it will also further enhance the reputation and influence of China’s postal service at home and abroad in a uniquely postal way, elevating the overall brand image of the postal service.

Address: No. 109 Jiefang North Road, Heping District

Tel: 23310386