The Shanghai Postal Museum is perched on the north bank of the Suzhou river and is a magnificent sight to behold with its Baroque style clock tower and European style façade with columns lined with statues of Greek mythological figures. A dominating presence on the waterfront, the postal office no longer works at its full capacity and maintains minimum retail operations.
Across from the Bund, in the Hongkou district, the Shanghai Postal Museum can be reached via lines 10 and 12 of the Shanghai subway stopping at the Tiantong station. A ferry from the Bund will take visitors across the Suzhou creek as well. The museum is free to enter but be wary that it is open only on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. It is recommended to book a ticket on the official website before coming, to actually be able to get inside. Timings are from 09:00 to 16:00 for tourists. The operational side is closed for lunch timings as well. Keep in mind that there is a one-way route through the museum, so snap any pictures as you move along as there is no re-visiting places at times.
The beautiful exterior of the buildings sets up high expectations of the interior. And the grand entrance of the museum does not disappoint. Marble pillars and floors polished to a shine with golden balustrades leading up to rounded balconies at the top make for a stunning impression of the Shanghai Postal Museum. Pictures of the view below (yourself included) from the balcony make for really artsy memories!
But there is more to the building then just the architecture. Upon entrance there is a statue of the first director of the mail service, Zhu Xuefan. With multiple exhibition halls on 2 floors, there is a lot to tell about the postal system in the orient from its early days and how it progressed through the ages, standing where it is today. There are even comparisons with other places in the world which makes for a fascinating study of mail delivery systems.
Visitors find the exhibit with the modes of transporting mail one of the most charming. It displays replicas of horse-drawn carriage, railway car and a French truck from the old days next to a model of a post office from the early 20th century.
Postal stamps collection is something that would impress philatelists since they go all the way back to stamps from the Qing era period. There are stamps from other parts of the world as well and many time periods. Instruments on which messages were carried was not always paper as can be seen in the exhibits carrying bamboos, pieces of cloth and even tortoise shells!
To get some really great shots, tourists can head to the roof garden (closed for a time so check before going), which offers panoramic views of Suzhou and the Huangpu river as well as the Bund beyond. On clear days one can catch glimpses of Shanghai as far as the Pearl tower.