Mail service in China

[robhon]

My wife informs me that her parents' house, where she's currently living, has no actual mail route service. There's an address but no postal worker delivers mail there. We are concerned about packages arriving there undeliverable and being returned. My wife asked that I have them add her father's cell phone number to their address but the nice lady at the NVC said, "No. We don't do that."

 

They live in Hechuan, just about an hour north of Chongqing. Anyone here have any experience or suggestions about how to handle this?

[Guest alex062872]

check with the local post office in China, they may make some arrangement.

[robhon]

check with the local post office in China, they may make some arrangement.

 

Yeah, they already did that. Her father has a friend in the PO, so if that person sees the packages it's no problem. But if another worker gets it they're not sure what'll happen.

[Mick]

I lived in China for five years and found mail delivery a hit or miss proposition, even at a large university. I would suggest talking to as many of the local postal workers as possible, telling them who the package will be addressed to and where it should be delivered. The fact that her father has a friend at the local post office should help. I think you really need to be proactive here.

[robhon]

Are you saying that most everyone going through this process of trading packets with GZ has been dealing with the same thing?

[tonyuab]

I was worried about this too since I started to apply K-3 for my wife. I did send a couple of post card to my wife to test and surprisingly they all arrived safely. I think for every residence neigborhood, there is a small group of retired people in charge of mail and other stuff like this.

[owenkrout]

I'm still living in China and as Mick said, the service can be very spotty. Even in large cities they may or may not manage to deliver mail. Partially it is due to the fact that even the Chinese find the address system in China confusing at times. Too bad DOS won't do the phone number in the address as that is a common solution here. It is common for the postal worker to leave mail with a neighbor or with the building guards or superintendent. As Tony said, it is also often common for a neighborhood committee to accept all the mail and distribute it. Many people have all mail delivered to their work unit. Even retired people will continue to do that as they view it as safer. For the foreign devils working over here the work unit usually requires you to have mail sent through them so they can keep tabs on you.

 

In their favor, I have found that the post office and the neighborhood committees usually make extra efforts to see to the delivery of anything from overseas or from a US Consulate. Of course it might be opened by the time you get it. When we first started corresponding my wife's work unit opened all her out going and incoming mail to inspect it.

[wolf]

I have had this problem sending things to ShenZhen. Finally after some lost letters, my fiancee went to the post office and showed the manager what the package would look like and to call her cell number anytime something came for her and to not give it to the carrier, because some of them will steal it, if they think money or something of value is in it. If you can use Global Express, the large box that won't fit in a mail box, this is the safest way.

[Mick]

Are you saying that most everyone going through this process of trading packets with GZ has been dealing with the same thing?

Although I had numerous difficulties with my mail being delivered in China, I never had any problems receiving packets from the GZ Consulate.