General Post Office Building, Shanghai

In 1914, China joined the Universal Postal Union, and Shanghai was designated as the exchange for international mail.

By the early 1920s, the previous premises of the postal administration was no longer adequate, and land was acquired on the north bank of Suzhou Creek for the construction of a new headquarters building.

The central group features Hermes, flanked by Eros and Aphrodite, the god and goddess of love.

After the Chinese civil war the building continued to house the headquarters of Shanghai's postal administration.

[3] Postal administration functions had moved out, but the retail post office operation continue from the trading hall (though that is now only a fraction of its original size).

General Post Office Building viewed from the east
High resolution photograph of the building in 1994
General Post Office in 1994
The General Post Office up Suzhou Creek from Garden Bridge in the 1920s
General Post Office Building viewed from across Suzhou Creek