French post offices in China
The French post offices in China were among the post offices maintained by foreign powers in China from the mid-19th century until 1922. The first French Post Office in China opened in 1862. Initially, the French government used ordinary French postage stamps for these offices. These forerunner stamps can be shown to have been sold or used in China only by a postmark. Stamps used at Shanghai prior to 1876, for example, can only be identified by diamond-shaped cancel made of a type referred to (in French) as a “losange à gros chiffres” with the numbers "5104" in the center of the cancel. Operation Unlike the other foreign post offices in China, the French operated two distinct types of post offices in China. Offices of the first type, typically located in French concessions and mostly in northern China, were run directly by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The offices of the second type, also referred to as the “Indochinese Offices” were located in southern China and operated under the direction of the postal administration of the nearby colony of French Indochina. Run by France The Paris-run Post Offices in China and their opening dates are as follows: 1862 Shanghai