Wuzhen Old Post Office

Wuzhen Old Post Office

Wuzhen has a long postal history. During the Tang Dynasty, Wuzhen was already a highly commercialized town, with the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through it. The Yuan Dynasty formally distinguished between horse relay stations (ma yi) and water relay stations (shui yi), and most of those established within Wuzhen were water relay stations, which used boats to deliver official documents. The stations had designated boat households responsible for transmitting official correspondence.

The West Market River in Wuzhen is a tributary of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the Wuzhen Old Post Office is located on the banks of the West Market River.

History:

In the 17th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1891), Wuzhen established the Lao Xie Xing Private Postal Bureau. Although this private bureau operated for profit, its postal fees were relatively low, and its services were extensive—not only handling domestic mail but also facilitating communication between overseas Chinese and their families.

In the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign (1896), the Qing government decided to “abolish relay stations and consolidate postal services,” establishing the “Great Qing Post.” The Wuzhen Post Office was founded on April 9 of the 29th year of the Guangxu reign (1903). Initially, it only handled letter services but gradually expanded to include parcel delivery and money remittance services.

At that time, postal services were launched with only simple tools. Mail transport relied on postmen who trekked on foot under harsh conditions. Foot postmen carried mail on their shoulders, wore leg wrappings, and traveled tirelessly along postal routes. However, due to Wuzhen’s well-developed waterways, boat transport was more commonly used for mail delivery.

During the War of Resistance against Japan, the Wuzhen Post Office was suspended, and two privately operated letter sending points were set up. A service fee was charged for sending or receiving letters. After the war, the post office resumed operations.

Address: Inside Wuzhen Xizha Scenic Area, Longyuan Road, Tongxiang City, Jiaxing

Type: Historical Building

Recommended Visiting Time: About 0.5 hours

Phone: 0573-88731088

Opening Hours:

Summer: 8:00–17:30; Winter: 8:00–17:00

Ticket Information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the Wuzhen Xizha Scenic Area ticket.