Moving on with the times

The outside of a post office in downtown Beijing that is designed after sports. Photo provided to China Daily

'Way forward'

Across the road from the North Gate of Worker's Stadium in downtown Beijing is located a sports-themed China Post branch office, where the main public draw since November has been an in-house shop selling memorabilia, the bulk of which is inspired by the city's favorite soccer club－Guo'an.

Glimpses of the club's history of more than six decades appear in envelopes and other stationary, easily blending China Post's official dark green and yellow colors with the bright yellow and light green Guo'an shades. A postcard costs 40 yuan; an unrelated tai chi mug 50 yuan.

A replica of the golden World Cup trophy serves as a mailbox.

Other than soccer, the "post shop" also celebrates China's Olympic winners over the years, and has rows of commemorative merchandise on sale from the 2008 Games in Beijing. Hutong collectables－impressions of the city's famous olden-day alleyways－occupy some shelf space.

In addition, political events such as the two main annual Communist Party of China and legislative sessions feature on stamps.

Adjacent to the shop is a postal exhibition hall and next to it a mailroom－the heart of a traditional post office. In this relatively small space, the old world collides with the new as sacks and cardboard boxes filled with mail are stacked in corners, and uniformed officials make entries in their computers.

Trucks meant to carry the mail wait outside in the parking lot as customers look on. But it remains unclear how much of the freight consists of handwritten letters.

Li Guankun, a China Post employee in her 20s, describes the location opposite the stadium as ideal for sports fans.