A revolutionary new system that can send letters via computer from any location in the world to China in just several minutes and for no more than 3.5 yuan (US$0.4) is to be launched in 18 Chinese cities.

The new Desk Post Office service -- PC-Letter -- will be available in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing and Liaoning next month, and will be spread to other Chinese regions in the near future, the China Post Administration announced yesterday.

"Within one year we expect to make a profit with a better link with the world through revolutionized services, of which PC-Letter is a good step forward,'' said Wang Zhiqi, vice-director of the Public Service Department of the Administration.

According to Wang, the PC-Letter allows the administration for the first time ever to realize a "zero-distance service,'' enabling its customers to enjoy a 24-hour mail service at home without being restricted by post offices' work hours or locations.

"It should put an end to frustrations such as finding the post office closed or heavy rainfall outside when you have finished a letter and are ready to mail it,'' he said.

Customers wishing to use the service should buy special cards, usually 50 yuan (US$6.04) each.

They then enter a code printed on the front of the card into the Desk Post Office which records the money as an account deposit.

Then, each time they mail a letter, the corresponding costs will be automatically deducted from this account.

Although PC-Letter is a combination of the traditional post service and the Internet, it is not the same as email, which is popular across the world because of its convenience, fast speed and zero-cost.

"We believe PC-Letter and email are just like knives and forks when you are eating. Both of them are indispensable to make things easier for you,'' said Yuasa Hiroshi, executive board member of the Beijing Xinsu Electronic Communication Equipment Co Ltd, provider of the Desk Post Office.

He believed PC-Letter and email should each have their own applications. For example, when you want to send a thesis in time, you would be better off sending it by email whereas PC-letter will contain a maximum of four pages.

But should you wish to inform customers of the prices of some products, PC-letter would be a better choice because it is more formal and "unchangeable.''

All PC-Letters will be printed, enveloped and sealed in a kind of "special machine" resistant to any human interference when they reach the destination post offices.

"Although modern communication technologies have developed considerably in advanced countries, the ancient post service has not declined as much as many people thought, instead reporting an annual increase of 20 percent in mail volume,'' said Hiroshi. "Because many people still think letters as more formal, more personal and easier to file. Besides, there are still a lot of people who do not have an e-mail address.''

(China Daily October 24, 2001)