The Qing Dynasty Post Office
The Former Qing Dynasty Post Office is located at No. 35 Xihu Street, Zhujiajiao Ancient Water Town. This two-story brick-and-wood building, combining Chinese and Western architectural styles, occupies approximately 70 square meters. Facing south, it fronts the street while its rear overlooks the town’s river. Outside the back door, a suspended stone-paved dock leads directly to the waterway. The building was funded and constructed in 1910 (the 2nd year of Emperor Xuantong’s Reign) by Xu Furu, a military scholar of the Qing Dynasty.
After multiple renovations and restorations, the site has been opened to the public as a tourist attraction, drawing countless visitors from home and abroad. It stands today as the only surviving former Qing postal facility in Shanghai’s suburban areas. The façade features two large doors, with a brick-engraved sign above reading “Zhujiajiao Post Office” in traditional right-to-left Chinese script. A newly cast coiled dragon mailbox stands prominently in front.
Although China’s postal history is long, formal postal institutions were absent for centuries. In 1874, the Imperial Customs established a postal division with dedicated postal staff. On March 20, 1896, Emperor Guangxu of the Qing dynasty officially approved the establishment of the Shanghai Qing Dynasty Imperial Postal Bureau. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Zhujiajiao Post Office became part of the Chinese People’s Post.
While the “Former Qing Dynasty Post Office” in Zhujiajiao is not an original postal site, it did serve as a functioning post office during the Republic of China and early PRC periods. The building’s style has been well preserved, making it a rare historical site in Shanghai’s suburbs.
Over a century later, most Qing postal structures have vanished. Of the 30 branches and sub-bureaus once managed by the Shanghai Imperial Post, this site in Zhujiajiao is one of the few that survives intact, earning it the title of a “complete historical relic.” From both a chronological and postal history perspective, the Former Qing Post Office in Zhujiajiao holds significant cultural and historical value.
