Chinese Letter Hongs Project Now Live

A new project on the history of Chinese private letter hongs is now online at: https://letterhongs.com/

This website is devoted to the long history of letter exchange and letter writing by Chinese people, from the early nineteenth century to the first half of the twentieth century. The efficient operation of private letter hongs was noted by British observers in the nineteenth century including Sir George Thomas Staunton, Herbert A. Giles, and Sir Robert Hart, who founded the Great Qing Imperial Postal Service.

Visit the site to see many original letters and learn more about this fascinating aspect of cultural history.