A Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) post office, located at 35 Xihu Street in Qingpu District's Zhujiajiao ancient town, has reopened to the public recently.

After an overall upgrade, it integrates traditional culture and China-chic experience, and incorporates culture and shopping, becoming another new landmark on the old street.

Established in 1903, it is the only Qing Dynasty post office in east China and the earliest of its kind in the region. In September 2022, Zhujiajiao carried out an upgrade on the century-old post office.

In addition to retaining the red brick and gray tiles and the iconic bronze cast dragon mailbox, the operator has remodeled the internal space of the old post office building, focusing on the layout of three functional areas, namely, the cultural and creative area of the post office, the letter museum, and the corner living room.

It is hoped that through the integration of culture, coffee tasting, creative experiences, art exhibitions, salons, boating and other cultural experiences, an exchange space integrating traditional culture and new Chinese aesthetics will be created.

"In the past, every word had different meaning. We hope to regain the feeling of writing to convey emotions," said Li Anqi, operation director of the Zhujiajiao Qing Dynasty Post Office.

Since reopening, the post office has been popular with tourists.

"I like to buy local cultural and creative products when on a trip. I think it is a good way to know about the place," said Lu Linyi, a tourist from southwestern Sichuan Province.