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Mail in Shanghai

Mail

Sending international mail from China is extremely reliable. Airmail letters to any place in the world should take 5 to 14 days. Express Mail Service (EMS) is available to many international destinations. Letters within Shanghai arrive the next day, and mail to the rest of China takes a day or two longer. Domestic mail can be subject to search so don't send sensitive materials, such as religious or political literature, as you might cause the recipient trouble.

Service is more reliable if you mail letters from post offices rather than mailboxes. Buy envelopes here too, as there are standardized sizes in China. You need to glue stamps onto envelopes as they're not self-adhesive. Most post offices are open daily 8 to 7; many keep even longer hours. Your hotel can usually send letters for you, too.

You can use the Roman alphabet to write an address. Do not use red ink, which has a negative connotation. You must also include a six-digit zip code for mail within China. The Shanghai municipality's postal code is 200000, and each of the city's districts differs in the fifth and sixth digits; for example, Xuhui district is 200030.

Sending airmail postcards costs Y4.50 and letters Y5-Y7.

Forest green signs identify the many branches of China Post in Shanghai. The main post office is at 276 Suzhou Bei Lu, and there are also English-speaking staff at the Shanghai Center and Xuhui branches.

Main Branches

Post Office (276 Suzhou Bei Lu, Hongkou.)

Shipping Packages

It's easy to ship packages home from China. Take what you want to send unpacked to the post office—everything will be sewn up officially into satisfying linen-bound packages, a service which costs a few yuan. You have to fill in lengthy forms, and enclosing a photocopy of receipts for the goods inside isn't a bad idea, as they may be opened by customs along the line. Large antiques stores often offer reliable shipping services that take care of customs in China. Large international couriers operating in Shanghai include DHL, Federal Express, and UPS. Your hotel can also arrange shipping parcels, but there's usually a hefty markup on postal rates.