Section 2 Movement of Post Modification

During the resistance war, because of the destruct caused by war, post in occupied areas was badly devastated. Few remained by luck was changed beyond recognition. China Post was continuously in deficit, its strength was greatly reduced, After the post was taken over in occupied areas, though it was modified and restored, there were still serious difficulties, difficult to meet social requirements. Therefore, from the winter of 1946, China Post started "post modification" movement.

The Ministry of Communication thought that all communication industries: road, electricity, post and navigation were service industries and should make convenience for the public. Post was a state-run industry, part of it was monopolized industry, which could become conservative and arrogant, so service spirit should be specially advocated to make post the national post. Post was a Public industry that should meet the requirements of majorities, and fit for the requirements of majorities. Under the instruction of this idea, in 1947, General Post Bureau set up a public relation organization--Public Service Section, which was responsible for connecting with public, consulting opinions for improving services, distributing test mails, carrying out polling, post consultation by newspaper and radio broadcasting. China Post took "rapidness" "safety" "popularity" and "service" as its "4 principles" to operate post and meet social requirements and took establishing, Perfecting rules and regulations, improving work efficiency as its two basis points for the healthy development of post and giving the full play of its effects.

At that time, the major modification measures were: (1)The Ministry of Communication advocated developing post transportation by air and put forward "air transportation with mails as the first" widened the quantity of air mails, sending and delivering air newspapers and air book parcels without limitation. General Post Bureau also regulated that mails and postcards without airmail fees, if transported wholly or partly by air, should be delivered by air delivery. From Feb. 1947, "Air Post Central Office" was set up in 27 important cities open to navigation, which was used as the hub of collecting and delivering mails. (2) To set up mobile train post office, collecting mails on the train along railway, which were sorted on the train and put to delivery when reaching the destination. (3) To extend truck postal route, transporting mails by trucks. (4) To set up post box, to deliver mail according to the time tables of trains or ships in order to accelerate the delivery of mails in cities and to simplify the procedures of registered and express mails. To try out area numbering method in large cities such as Naming, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in order to be convenient for accelerating , delivery. (5) To set up mobile truck post office to sell stamps, collect and send . mails, develop remittance to organizations, schools and resident areas fat away from post office at fixed time. (6) To set up model post office and reconstruct existing post office, making its environment clean, facilities convenient. Furthermore, to be convenient for the use of post by public, city postal kiosk, holiday post office, all-night post office, mobile post office in fair period in rural areas were also established.

The above "Post Modification" measures were appraised by natives, foreigners, customers and news media.

Mobile train post office set
up by China Post

The measures China Post adopted had good effects on accelerating mail delivery, improving post service. But these measures were only taken in Shanghai and several large cities, hadn't been extended to inland and to villages. So after urban post had been modified, China Post listed improving rural post as one of its central work. On July 24, 1947 at the meeting of the Communication Ministry, it put forward the plan of improving rural post, drew up 3-year plan and carried it out in some rural areas.

During this period, in May, 1947, China Post determined that March 20, i.e, the day when the Emperor Guangxu approved to set up official post office of the Qing Dynasty, as the Post Commemoration Day. The first Post Commemoration Day in 1948 was just the 70 anniversary of the first set of stamps in 1878, so General Post Bureau organized a stamp exhibition in Naming and issued anniversary stamps at the same time. This was the first time that post office held stamp exhibition, so there were lots of visitors, an exceptionally grand occasion.