NOTE: This is largely based on a document that was published at "http://worldpostmarks.net/HTML Countries/china.htm" but seems to be no longer available at that URL. I am, of course, indebted to the original compiler and the sources listed below.

Postmarks of China

中國 / Chungkwo / Zhongguo / Middle Kingdom to 1949

This document may help philatelists, who struggle with their Chinese characters, to decipher old (up to 1949) native and bi-lingual (usually English & Chinese) postmarks on Chinese letters and stamps.

Please use your browser's search function to find town names, in English or Chinese.

Contents

Introduction

PROVINCES - Quick Province Finder

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Introduction

This document used the following references:

It also mentions as probably being useful if you could find a copy:

Some small additions have been made to the original lists in this version, published at https://westnab.com/Maxstamps/ChinesePO1.php

The offices listed below are mostly first, second and third class post offices from the 1936 list published by the Directorate General of Posts. You will also find agencies with the municipal status of "hsien" (see below). Someday, the other agencies may be added but there are many of them, approaching 15,000 at that time. A separate post office at a town's railway station is common and not all are listed as such.

Locations are by geographic coordinates in degrees and minutes, taken from databases and old atlases. There are inaccuracies as no two sources seem to agree as to location. There have been changes in division boundaries, especially in Manchuria, and some are noted but not all.

There are several Romanization systems. The Wade-Giles system is the basis for the 1912 dictionary and for Postal System Pinyin (which omits diacritic and accent marks). Modern Pinyin is official as of 1979.

Town names are listed in Postal System Pinyin with Modern Pinyin and alternative names in parentheses. Chinese characters are in the traditional form, as found in old cancellations, rather than the more recently introduced simplified form. Some modern ideographs may have slipped in by mistake.

The “translations” are very rough, ignore compounds, and no doubt are wrong enough in some cases as to be humorous. Some character strings cannot be translated as they are phonetic renditions of foreign words, such as Mongolian. Many place names incorporate names of families, rivers and mountains whose original meanings are lost in antiquity.

Not all characters could be found in a single typeface.

In the 1936 list, "hsien" ("xian") meant a city. Now, the word means "county" and a county may come under the jurisdiction of a city. This is confusing to westerners so, for the most part, "hsien" is translated as "city" below. Atlases often use a county name, city name, or urban township for the same place on the map. Thus, there may be several post office listings for one geographic location.

Postmarks usually read from right to left and top to bottom. As is customary, the place names below read from left to right.

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ANHWEI 安徽 – Anhui Peaceful Emblem

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CHEKIANG – Zhejiang 浙江 Winding River 城杭

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FUKIEN – Fujian 福建 Happy Establishment 海口埠

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HONAN – Henan 河南 River South

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HOPEH - formerly CHIH-LI (Zhili) 直隸 name changed to HOPEH – Hebei 河北 River North

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HUNAN – Hunan 湖南 Lake South

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HUPEH – Hubei 湖北 Lake North

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JEHOL Rehe 熱河 - Hebei Hot River

In 1955, the administration of the People's Republic of China divided the area between Hebei province, Liaoning Province, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

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KANSU – Gansu 甘肅 甘肃 Pleasant Respectful

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KIANGSI – Jiangxi 江西 River West

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KIANGSU – Jiangsu 江蘇 River Awakening

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KWANGSI - Guangxi 廣西 Expanse West

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KWANGTUNG – Guangdong 廣東 Expanse East

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KWEICHOW – Guizhou 貴州 Noble Prefecture

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MANCHURIA

Manchuria has had a complicated history of provinces; all 3 listed below had border changes in the 1950’s.

MANCHURIA - LIAONING 遼寧

- formerly known as FENGTIAN 奉天 - Distant Peace

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MANCHURIA - KIRIN - Jilin 吉林 Lucky Forest

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MANCHURIA - HEILUNGKIANG - Heilongjiang 黑龍江 Black Dragon River (Amur)

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INNER MONGOLIA 内蒙古自治区

(Old Provinces CHAHAR 察哈爾, SUIYÜAN 綏遠 plus NINGSIA 寧夏 and parts of JEHOL)

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SHANSI – Shanxi 山西 Mountain West

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SHANTUNG – Shandong 山東 Mountain East

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SHENSI – Shaanxi 陕西 West of the Mountains

The double "a" is artificial and distinguishes Romanized Shensi from Shansi.

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SIKANG - Xizang 西康 West Peaceful

Old province comprising much of Tibet

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SINKIANG – Xinjiang 新疆 شىنجاڭ New Frontier

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SZECHWAN – Sichuan 四川 Four Rivers (Eastern Sichuan is now Chongqing Shi)

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TSINGHAI – Qinghai 靑海 Blue Sea

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YUNNAN - Yunnan 雲南 Cloud South

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HAINAN 海南 South of the Sea

No Post Offices listed as yet!

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KOREA Hanguo 韩国 Goryeo 高麗

Chinese Post Offices in Korea.

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TAIWAN 臺灣 Platform Gulf; Formosa

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TIBET 西藏 Xizang West Store

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UNKNOWN LOCATIONS

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