Old Hong Kong Post Boxes

Last updated: 2007-04-17

156 years of British rule was bound to leave it's mark on Hong Kong. Since 1997 and the handover to Chinese rule, the expatriate population has seen a steady decline. However, there are clear reminders of British rule everywhere to be seen, built into the very fabric of the territory.

British Post Office boxes are just one aspect of that colonial past, with their distinctive royal crest. However, even those reminders of Hong Kong's history are under threat. Some of them dating back to 1910, they are gradually being replaced, around 90 of them since 1997.

Hong Kong's postal service say that they are no longer big enough to cope with the volume of mail, or are simply worn out. At the time of writing, less than 60 remain in service.

As each post box is removed, they are taken to a storage facility in Kowloon and the post office is trying to generate interest from local museums in the hope they will be interested in preserving this part of Hong Kong's history. Some are arguing that the old boxes should be left in service as a reminder of Hong Kong's past and to show that the territory has always been and still is in a state of constant change.

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