Every day, millions of letters and packages from local post offices and mailboxes are collected at Chunghwa Post Co.’s regional centers, where they are sorted, transported and delivered. Reputed as one of the most efficient and reliable postal services in the world, the company employs 11,000 mail staffers who handled 2.8 billion domestic and international postcards, letters and parcels last year. Even items with incomplete or inaccurate addresses have a good chance of being successfully delivered.
Modern postal services in Taiwan began in 1888 with the establishment of the Taiwan General Post Office under the Great Qing Post, which was renamed Chunghwa Post in 1912 following the end of the Qing dynasty (1616-1911). The Taiwan office was replaced by Japanese postal services during the colonial period (1895-1945), and resumed operations after the end of World War II. Then in 2003, Chunghwa Post was restructured from a government agency into a government-owned corporation.
The popularity of modern communication options and competition from private carrier services have impacted Chunghwa Post’s postal business, which in recent years has only generated around 9 percent of the company’s income. Shrinking business, however, does not seem to have any influence on the morale of staffers.
Rain or shine, they deliver.
—by Jim Hwang
Mail is sorted at Chunghwa Post Co.’s regional centers. The company handled 2.8 billion letters and parcels in 2015.
Two postal workers load up a delivery motorcycle.
A veteran postman familiarizes a rookie with his route.
There are 11,000 mail staffers, including some 9,000 mail carriers, at Chunghwa Post.
The Taipei regional center is responsible for collecting, sorting and delivering mail in the Greater Taipei area.
PHOTOS BY CHIN HUNG-HAO