There have been marked enhancement in the capacity of postal networks and a historic expansion in the scale of networks. Through 50 years of construction after the founding of New China, a modern postal network that is centered in the capital, links urban and rural areas, covers the whole country and leads to the world has basically taken shape. China's postal network has become one of the largest postal networks in the world

　Following are excerpts of this article: Over the past 50 years since the founding of New China, particularly the past 20 years since the launch of the reform and opening drive, China's postal undertaking with a long history has, under the correct leadership of the Party and government, taken on a completely new look, presenting a good situation characterized by sustained, rapid and sound development.

　--There have been marked enhancement in the capacity of postal networks and a historic expansion in the scale of networks. Through 50 years of construction after the founding of New China, a modern postal network that is centered in the capital, links urban and rural areas, covers the whole country and leads to the world has basically taken shape. China's postal network has become one of the largest postal networks in the world.

　--While further perfecting the object material transmission network, the Chinese postal department is actively constructing a postal comprehensive computer network, postal savings computer network has become the country's largest financial network.

　--The postal undertaking, which is experiencing constant improvement in the technological level, is undergoing a gradual change from a labor-intensive type to a technology-intensive type. This is evidenced by the fact that the means of postal production, service and management are being continuously renovated and that there is a tangible improvement in the mechanization and automation of postal work and in the electronic level of business windows.

　--The increasingly rich variety of postal services has basically satisfied the multi-faceted and multi-level demands of society.

　In 1998, the country's total postal business volume amounted to 16.62 billion yuan, or 123-times that in the early period after liberation; business income to 28.71 billion yuan, 463 times that earned shortly after liberation; and labor productivity reached 62,000 yuan per person.

　--Postal service level has witnessed gradual improvement and continuous expansion in the service scope. Over the past 50 years, Chinese postal undertaking has accelerated the construction of service facilities, increased the number of urban and rural offices and branches and postal service networks, and improved the postal environment.

　--There is a constant expansion in breadth and depth of the field of postal cooperation with foreign countries. Thus far, China has established direct postal ties with 145 countries and regions; domestic mails and parcels can reach every corner of the world; China has also established ties with 96 countries and regions in the international express special delivery business which can reach 200 countries and regions.

　--Postal service, which is undergoing deepening institutional reform, has become an independently operating department in the national economic system.

　In 1998, under the impetus of the country's structural reform, the State conducted a major reform of the postal and telecom system, introduced the separate operation of postal and telecom services and set up the State Postal Office, Chinese postal sector has become an independent operating department of the national economic system.

　At the turn of the century, the Chinese postal undertaking is faced with both rare opportunities and grim challenges.

　 Under such circumstances, we should, firstly, unswervingly perform the duty of rendering general services, actively improve service quality and strive to enhance the social efficiency of postal service.

　 Secondly, we should unswervingly implement the strategy for revitalizing the postal undertaking through science and technology, speed up the pace of postal technological innovation and develop modernized postal service.

　 Thirdly, we should unswervingly push forward postal reform and strive to improve the economic benefits of postal enterprises. Reform is the necessary choice for postal development. I firmly believe that with the support of the State and the help from various social circles and through the firm determination of the country's 500,000 postmen to make progress, China's postal undertaking will definitely be able to score even more brilliant achievements in the 21st century.