The Old General Post Office

Originally located on the site of today's World Wide House in Central, the post office used to be called the "Letter House". The gothic building was completed in 1911, built with local granite and red bricks from Xiamen, China. The building was torn down in September 1976 when the New General Post Office, opposite Jardine House, came into use. Stamps were available as of December 8, 1862. The Post Office was established in 1897. With advanced technology, a mechanical mail service became essential. Express mail began in 1973. Electronic mail from Hong Kong to Britain was made available in 1982. Since 1984 customers have been able to directly fax documents to the General Post Office to be sent overseas. In 1985 there were 1,189 postmen, 103 branch post offices and three circulation post offices equipped with delivery vehicles. The Post Office handled 519 million letters and parcels in 1984.