All things old China - books, anecdotes, stories, podcasts, factoids & ramblings from the author Paul French

The Old Post Office – Peking Legation Quarter

Posted: November 25th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

A stroll round the old Legation Quarter of Peking last weekend was rather enhanced by the fact that a bunch of new signs have gone up marking various buildings. They’re not that good and fairly erratic but better than nothing I suppose. The one that caught my attention was close to the old French Legation on what is now Dongdiaominxing Alley. It marks the old French Post Office next to the gates of the entrance gates of the old French Legation. The old Post Office is now a rather dreary restaurant with pretty awful food and sleepy waitresses but at least it still stands.

French post office - legation quarter - bj - 1

PS: I’ve added an old photo of the same spot here

2 Comments on “The Old Post Office – Peking Legation Quarter”

  1. 1 Andrew Cheung said at 6:27 pm on March 23rd, 2022:

    Any idea where the French post office in Shanghai is/was located. Is the building still there?

  2. 2 Paul French said at 6:38 pm on March 23rd, 2022:

    Good question – I always assumed that most French people used the International Post Office on Suzhou Creek – but i think, certainly in the 19th century, there was a French Post Office attached to Consulate on the French Bund (Quai de France). Of course they issued French Post Office Shanghai stamps too – but not sure where you bought them. Sorry to not be that helpful.

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