Tianjin is the birthplace of the modern Chinese postal service. The city had the first stamps, the first postage forms, the first postage regulations and more. Many of these old objects have been brought together in the Tianjin Postal Service Museum.

The collection reaches back into the photos, relics and sculptures of the last dynasty to show how China’s postal services have evolved over the centuries.

While the number of items in its collections is small, most are rare pieces that cannot be seen anywhere else.

One of its most valuable exhibits is the original manuscript of “Proposed Stamps and Postcards for the Imperial Chinese Post,” a landmark work by Robert Alexis de Villard that set the form and printing process of the first Chinese stamps.

It also includes samples of the first “Da Long” stamp and “The King of Chinese Stamp” in its permanent collection.

The museum’s stamp collection is the dream of any amateur collector, and its gift shop sells some interesting hand drawn postcards.

Source: Beijing Today