I want to pre-stamp envelopes to be mailed airmail from China (Bejiing) to
Connecticut, USA.  Where can I buy chinese airmail stamps by 6/14/04.
Pre-stamped envelopes are a possibility also.   Thank you.

---

Request for Question Clarification by larre-ga on 12 Jun 2004 13:39 PDT

Hi, eloiseparis, 

It's not just the stamps, it's the envelopes as well, since envelope
sizes are strictly regulated by China Post.

I've searched extensively within the U.S. and have not been able to
locate a commercial source (online) that offers conforming envelopes
and Chinese stamps for sale.

I can provide in-country information about mailing letters and
postcards from China, including availability of stamps.

I can offer you non-postal-service alternatives, if those would acceptable. 

As an international traveler myself, as well as having family members
travel outside the US, I've done exactly as you are proposing, taking
or sending along pre-addressed envelopes for mailing, but in this
case, right down to the wire, there are very few options. I'll be
happy to help you find those if you like.

---larre

---

Clarification of Question by eloiseparis-ga on 12 Jun 2004 16:21 PDT

Thank you very much for your responses.  I don't know what non-postal means but
what I wanted to do was to give these prepaid preaddressed envelopes
to a family member to be mailed from China to Ct. as you guessed. 
This entailed
no effort on his part other than to give them to his hotels. Apparently this is
not possible. 

I think that you have answered my question completely.  However, if you could
give me a sense of what you mean by non-postal I would apprediate it.
Thank you, Larre.  I particularly appreciate your rapid answer, as I
need to buy
them by the 14th.  I guess other places like banks etc. wouldn't have
any stamps either as this is not a possibility at this time.  As I
said if you can
give me an idea of what non-postal might mean...I don't want you to do any
more unless it would be equal to the "drop at the front desk" solution.

Again, thank you , Larre.  Sat. 7:20PM EST USA   Eloiseparis

---

Clarification of Question by eloiseparis-ga on 12 Jun 2004 16:46 PDT

Larre...How easy is it to access and to use computors in chinese hotels in
cities such as Bejiing?  That would be non-postal... Also, if you would be
kind enough to tell me what you mean by "non-postal" as I mentioned before.

Again, thanks.    Eloiseparis  Sat 7:44PM EST USA

---

Request for Question Clarification by larre-ga on 12 Jun 2004 17:09 PDT

Hello, 

By non-postal I'm referring to Express Mail services available
worldwide, pretty much a drop-at-the-desk solution, but more expensive
I'm afraid.

I have located a reference that explains exactly how to request and
mail aerograms at Chinese hotels, or post offices. It includes the
sample Chinese characters needed to properly mark airmail. I would
suppose that these designations could be printed ahead of time onto
stickers.

So far I only have very general statistics about Internet
availability. It depends upon the individual hotel, of course, but
I'll be happy to try locate several "sure thing" hotels for you.

I also have one suggestion as a possibility of obtaining stamps or
aerograms on Monday, if you are willing to travel into New York City
to the Chinese Embassy there. You'd want to contact the Embassy by
telephone first, of course. I've e-mailed, but I don't expect a
response on the weekend, nor am I confident this would provide a
solution.

Consulate General of P.R.C in New York
520 12th Avenue
New York, NY 10036-1003

Telephone Numbers
 212-244-9456
 212-244-9392

Map: http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/eng/lsxx/lxfs/t31636.htm

Let me know which information is of interest. 

---larre

---

Clarification of Question by eloiseparis-ga on 12 Jun 2004 20:01 PDT

Hello..You are incredible! I am impressed! Express Mail sounds good to
me, however I want to prepay.  Does your reference Re: aerograms &
sample chinese
characters refer to express mail or is it a separate possibility?

I would appreciate "sure thing" hotels re computors.

The Chinese Embassy is very clever of you, but I work and won't be able to go
to the city. Do you think if I called that they might overnight stamps &/or
aerograms? (After they reply to your email)

It looks like all your information is "of interest".  You are really
remarkable. I appreciate your acumen, Larre. Thank You! Eloiseparis

(For a person who has traveled extensively I really am quite ignorant.  I am
 fortunate that you answered me.   Sat. 10:59PM EST USA)

---

Request for Question Clarification by larre-ga on 12 Jun 2004 21:27 PDT

I will obtain and pass along complete instructions for you to obtain
prepaid Express Mail envelopes.

I'll also give you all the information I can locate on mailing in
China. I will search for Internet Access points and post those for
you.

I honestly don't know what level of cooperation to expect from the
Chinese Embassy in New York. It's a quite a longshot guess to begin
with.

I'll be working on the questions briefly this evening (I'm three
timezones away from you in California) and continue tomorrow until
complete.

I'm very happy to assist you. This sort of discovery question makes
work quite enjoyable for me.

---l

---

Clarification of Question by eloiseparis-ga on 13 Jun 2004 09:44 PDT

Thank you Larre..Does the express mail need chinese stamps?

I appreciate your responses. Sorry I didn't respond promptly yesterday but
I worked and then came home and took a nap..I didn't realize that you would
be so wonderfully prompt.  As you are 3 time zones away, you are I hope,
sleeping.

I'll be in touch with you later today. 
Regards, Eloiseparis  Sun 12:43 PM EST USA

Thanks for asking!

Prepaid Express Delivery Service from China is available from DHL. I
spoke with DHL Customer representatives who assured me that DHL's
International Envelopes may be purchased in the U.S. and used in
Beijing, China.

To order DHL International Envelopes you must call DHL's Ship-Ready
Department, at their Corporate offices in Seattle, Washington on
Monday. Their hours are 7am to 4pm, Monday through Friday only. Since
DHL is indeed an overnight Express shipper, I'm confident that they'll
be able to get the envelopes to you within your timeframe. In the past
when I've been rushed, I've made arrangements for airport pickup of
items overnighted by Express shippers. All have offices at every
airport, and most times, even afterhours requests would be honored as
a customer courtesy.

DHL Ship-Ready
1-800-246-2323 X2244

DHL's China Website (in English) offers additional country-specific
information regarding Express Shipments. For instance, the average
transit time for document expressed from Beijing to the U.S. is two
working days. The rates for international shipments are shown as 200
China Yuan Renminbi, which would be about $24 USD, so be prepared for
sticker shock when you speak to DHL representatives to purchase
prepaid mailers.

DHL China Website
http://www.cn.dhl.com/English/index.html


The DHL-Sinotrans offices in Beijing are also listed. I'll provide
that listing below, since the website uses a popup window for this
info.

DHL-Sinotrans Customer Service Hotline (Tollfree in Beijing)
800-810-8000

Express Center 
DHL-Sinotrans Head Office Service Center
Head Office Lobby
No.45 Xinyuan Street, Chaoyang Dist.
Tel: 6466 5566

I'd write the Customer Service Hotline number labeled "DHL-Sinotrans
Pickup" on a post-it and stick it to the front of each envelope, so
that that the hotel concierge or front desk attendant has an instant
reference to a phone number for Express pickup, "just in case".



----------------------------------------------------------------------
AIRMAIL FROM CHINA
----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Airmail is the best way to send mail home from China. Aerogrammes,
printed sheets that fold into envelopes and travel via airmail, are
available at post offices. Write "par avion" (hángkõng; º½¿Õ) on the
front. Most post offices will charge exorbitant fees or simply refuse
to send aerogrammes with enclosures."

"Sending a letter out of China costs Y4.40 (1-20g) or Y8.20 (21-50g).
Airmail charges an additional Y10 per gram."

The full article, with additional mailing information for letters and
postcards, is available at:

Let's Go China - Sending Mail Home From China
http://www.letsgo.com/CHI/02-Essentials-272


----------------------------------------------------------------------
CHINA POST AND TELECOM
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Warrior Tours notes "[s]everal points for special attention:

-- Envelope sizes are standardized in China, so always buy them from
   post offices, hotels and appointed agencies.

-- Stamps in China are not self-adhesive so you need to glue them onto
   the envelopes.

-- The postal code is required when mailing letters."


So... take along a glue stick, just in case. It also seems that
envelopes and stamps may be purchased in most hotels. This article
also offers a little helpful guidance about Internet availability:

"Just as in the rest of the world Internet services are now widely
available in China. You will be able find access to it in most major
cities, though at times it can be very slow to download. Business
centers in 4 and 5 star hotels provide an Internet service for
visitors and you can also find cyber cafes in many cities. One of the
best places to look out for these is near to the universities."


Warrior Tours China Post and Telecom
http://www.warriortours.com/essential/when/post.htm


Chinese (China Post) Mailbox (Image)
http://www.wangjianshuo.com/personal/places/pudongairport/shanghai.pvg-post.box.jpg


----------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNET ACCESS
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Internet Cafes
--------------

Kinko's
A11 Xiang Jun Gei Li Dong Sanhuan Road 
Chao Yang District 
Telephone: 86-10-6595-8050 

Sparkice Internet Cafe
1st FL, Capital Stadium BLdg., 
West Wing No.54 
Baishiqiao Road 


Sparkice Internet Cafe 
Vontone Shopping Center, 1st Floor
Fuchengmenwai Dajie
Xicheng District
Beijing, China 


Hotels with Internet Access
---------------------------

Holiday Inn Lido Hotel Beijing 
Jichang Road, Jiang Tai Road 
Beijing 100004 

Radisson SAS Hotel, Beijing
6A East Beisanhuan Road, 
Chaoyang District, Beijing

The Peninsula Palace Hotel Business Centre 
8 Goldfish Lane
Wangfujing, Beijing


----------------------------------------------------------------------

When traveling in areas where English is a rare commodity, I have
found it useful to carry along a small set of pictures on 3x5 cards,
so that I can communicate without words. Translation Flash Cards. 
I've collected a few images for you that might be helpful. Also,
here's a link to Travlang (select Manderin), some of the phrases might
be useful.

Travlang  (images load slowly)
http://www.travlang.com/languages/cgi-bin/langchoice.cgi

Travel Flashcards
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X35225E88


I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. If/As soon as I hear back from
the Chinese Embassy, I will post whatever information I receive. By
all means, you should feel free to email them for information also.
The email address is:

chinasonsul_ny_us@mfa.gov.cn


Should you have questions about any of the materials or links I've
provided, please, feel free to ask for clarification.

---larre
  

Search Strategy/Google Search Terms:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

hotel "internet access" beijing
"mail from" china
buy "chinese stamps" "in the US"
"express service" international




DHL Sinotrans China | Additional Beijing Express Offices
----------------------------------------------------------------------

DHL-Sinotrans Northern Area Office
DHL-Sinotrans Beijing

No.2 Jiu Xian Qiao Lu,
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100015
Tel: (010) 6466 2211
Fax:(010) 6436 5767

Express Center

DHL-Sinotrans Head Office Service Center
Head Office Lobby
No.45 Xinyuan Street, Chaoyang Dist.
Tel: 6466 5566

Southern Service Center
No.34 West Da Wang Road
Chaoyang District.
Tel: 6776 2211 

Western Service Center
1/F, Dinghengxin Building.
No.5 Changwa Street. Haidian Dist.
No.1 Zuojiazhuang, Chaoyang Dist.
Tel: 6847 2211

China World Trade Center Express Center
L217, 2/F China World Trade Center
No.1 Jian Guo Men Wai Ave.
Tel: 6505 2173 / 6505 2288-8103

Changfugong Hotel Express Center
RM.108 Chang Fu Gong Office Building.
No.26 Jian Guo Men Wai Ave.
Tel: 6513 0815

COFCO Plaza Express Center
Rm 123, 1/F, Tower B, COFCO Plaza
No.8 Jian Guo Men Nei Ave.
Tel: 6526 9547 / 6526 6666-2117

Henderson Center Express Center
30B, B2, Henderson Center
No.18 Jian Guo Men Nei Ave.
Tel: 6518 6021

Jing Hui Express Center
RM.208,2/F, Jing Hua Building
No.2 Dong San Huan Nan Road
Tel: 65672560


Oriental Plaza Express Center
RM105, Tower W2, Oriental Plaza.
No.1 East Chang An Ave.
Tel: 85181951

Xiao Huang Zhuang Express Center
RM110, Suite C, Anzhen Foreign Trade Building
No.2 He Ping Li North Street
Tel: 84274407/84278800-2602


Zhong Shui Express Center
RM.209, Zhongshui Building
No.31 Min Feng Hu Tong
Tel: 88067499

Jin Rong Jie Express Center
B105, Tong Tai Building
No.33 Jin Rong Jie Street.
Tel: 88086509

---

Request for Answer Clarification by eloiseparis-ga on 13 Jun 2004 14:37 PDT

Larre! Spectacular ! I love those flash cards..you have more than fullfilled my
wildest hopes for information..I want to add $100. where space is provided for
exceptional work.  I need to use a different credit card. How do I go about this?

I will call DHL in the am...perfect.. I have copied all the sites you
offered...Thanks for the "sticker shock".  This has been an
envigorating
experience!  In the future is it possible to request you? You are a true
scholar.. and I have learned to spell Beijing! Hurrah.  I am SO PLEASED!!!
THANK YOU ..THANK YOU.. THANK YOU...Best regards...Eloiseparis Sun 5:36PM EST

---

Clarification of Answer by larre-ga on 13 Jun 2004 15:24 PDT

You're vmost welcome, I'm glad to help. You're one of those wonderful
to work with customers!

I had to look at my own profile to see how the credit card info works.
You can certainly switch credit cards in your profile, however, only a
single credit card may be associated with your username at any given
time. Credit cards are charged when fees exceed $25, or at the end of
the month. Your original credit card would have been charged at the
time I answered the question. There should be no difficulty with
changing cards in your Profile. Tips are charged separately, at the
time they're given.

You are welcome to direct questions to my attention simply by
including my username in the Subject line or the question.  We all
honor such requests from each others' customers. I'd be happy to work
with you any time.

---larre

***** Superb researcher..Superlative- articulate- professional-INTELLIGENT!
answered 200% and very rapid on a weekend. Most pleasant and gracious.
Clearly presented and very well organized. Very thurough..very
impressive!!! Thank you
Larre..In appreciation, Eloiseparis Sun 8:16PM EST USA

You're a gold star customer! Thank you. Very much! ---larre

6-15-2004

Don't forget to check with a stamp dealer in your area who may also be
able to help you find exactly the stamps you are looking for or could
possibly provide a referral.

4KEITH (I'm NOT a GOOGLE Researcher)