Postal services bring dramatic changes to border villages in SW China's Yunnan

In a border village in southwest China's Yunnan Province, parcels are now delivered up to the doorsteps of the home of Li Xingying, a villager now studying at a college in the provincial capital Kunming.

Nestled deep in Gaoligong Mountain in Chenggan township, Lushui city, Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture, the border village of Qiancunyizu administered by Chinainai village used to be a blind zone for postal services.

A postman rides a motorcycle to deliver parcels in a mountainous region in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/China Post News)

Five years ago, when Li Xingying was studying at a senior high school in the prefecture seat, her parents had to travel 26 kilometers along a mountain road to the township's post office to send parcels to her.

Like Qiancunyizu, 2,148 of 2,207 border villages in Yunnan had no postal services, according to a survey conducted by the province in March 2022.

In July that year, the Yunnan Provincial Postal Administration and the Yunnan branch of China Post launched a pilot project to bring postal services to 48 border villages in Lushui city and 264 border villages in Mengla county of Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture in Yunnan. Three months later, all the pilot border villages had access to postal services. On Nov. 30, 2022, postal services covered all 2,207 border villages in the province.

"Now, it's more convenient for me to send parcels of specialties. And my daughter often sends clothes and daily necessities she bought online to us. Parcels from coastal regions will arrive at my doorstep in three to four days," Li Xingying's mother said excitedly.

Ke Huayi, 75, used hinnies to transport goods in high mountains and deep valleys in Nujiang at an early age. Ke became a postman in Chenggan township in 1970 and retired in 2005.

Ke recalled that it took at least 10 days to deliver parcels from the province's Lijiang city to Nujiang, and many hinnies died from exhaustion every year. Back then, postmen also used ropeways to cross the roaring Nujiang River.

Sang Nancai, head of the township's post office, became a postman in the township in 1987. Sang and Ke were responsible for parcel deliveries in all villages there.

"Villages are far away from each other. There were no paved roads, and we had to walk to deliver parcels," Sang said.

Noting that each of them was responsible for a postal route, Sang said they needed to walk 30 to 40 kilometers a day on mountain paths, and could deliver all parcels in six days in a single trip.

These days, Sang rides a motorcycle to deliver parcels. As China pushes forward rural revitalization in an all-round way, over 140 bridges have been built over the Nujiang River, Lancang River and Dulongjiang River. A highway built along the Nujiang River brings convenience to over 300,000 people in 19 towns and townships. All 272 administrative villages in Nujiang are accessible by paved roads. Direct postal services are now available in 556,000 administrative villages across China.

Between October 2022 and March 2023, the Yunnan branch of China Post sent more than 67,000 parcels to all border villages in the province, bringing higher-quality public services and more convenience to border residents.

Villagers in Nujiang have sold agricultural products to places out of deep mountains via live-streaming sessions, thanks to the building of 4G and 5G networks and postal routes.

A postman delivers a parcel to a villager in Gongshan county, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/China Post News)

By the end of 2022, 78 telecommunications base stations had been built in the border areas of Nujiang, with 79 administrative villages in 18 border towns and townships achieving full coverage of 4G signals, and 76 percent of 5G signals, said He Dongchang, Lushui regional manager of the Nujiang branch of China Tower.

Li Fangwen, a 38-year-old resident of Qiancunyizu, is a popular live streamer who promotes the agricultural products of his family and nearby villagers. "I send 20 parcels on average every week and about 1,000 parcels a year. I have had access to postal services at my doorstep starting October 2022," said Li Fangwen.

In Chenggan township, many villagers have become online store owners and vloggers and advertise agricultural products online, said postman Yang Xiaofei, adding that postal services facilitate their businesses.

Yang Guodong, deputy general manager of the Nujiang branch of China Post, said the company launches live-streaming sessions to help farmers sell agricultural products, with each session receiving an average of 200 to 300 orders, and earnings go straight to the farmers.

Unimpeded postal services have also brought consumer goods from the outside world to residents in Yunnan's border villages.