China Post Introduces PC-Letter

October 24, 2001 — Tang Min, China Daily (Beijing): “A revolutionary new
system that can send letters via computer from any location in the world to
China in just several minutes and for no more than 3.5 yuan (US$0.40) is to
be launched in 18 Chinese cities. The new Desk Post Office service –
PC-Letter – will be available in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing and
Liaoning next month, and will be spread to other Chinese regions in the near
future, the China Post Administration announced yesterday. ‘Within one year
we expect to make a profit with a better link with the world through
revolutionized services, of which PC-Letter is a good step forward,’ said
Wang Zhiqi, vice-director of the Public Service Department of the
Administration. According to Wang, the PC-Letter allows the administration
for the first time to realize a ‘zero-distance service,’ enabling its
customers to enjoy a 24-hour mail service at home without being restricted
by post offices’ work hours or locations. ‘It should put an end to
frustrations such as finding the post office closed or heavy rainfall
outside when you have finished a letter and are ready to mail it,’ he said.
Customers wishing to use the service should buy special cards, usually 50
yuan (US$6.04) each. They then enter a code printed on the front of the card
into the Desk Post Office which records the money as an account deposit.
Then, each time they mail a letter, the corresponding costs will be
automatically deducted from this account. Although PC-Letter is a
combination of the traditional post service and the Internet, it is not the
same as email, which is popular across the world because of its convenience,
fast speed and zero-cost.” The article states: “All PC-Letters will be
printed, enveloped and sealed in a kind of ‘special machine’ resistant to
any human interference when they reach the destination post offices.”
(postalinsight)