Conservationists up in arms at Post Office’s decision, accusing it of airbrushing history – with some saying the current political climate may be to blame

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Hong Kong authorities are trying to airbrush history, say conservationists, who are complaining old postboxes still bearing the royal ciphers associated with Britain’s rule are being covered up.

Of the 1,148 iron mailboxes that dot Hong Kong, 59 still bear the royal insignia as they were put in place before 1997, the year the territory reverted to Chinese rule.

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To mark the handover of sovereignty all the mailboxes were painted bright green, covering the royal red, while the Post Office logo was added.

The two oldest mailboxes, bearing the ciphers of Queen Victoria, have been placed in local museums but others are still in daily use.

These include seven bearing the insignia of King George V, two that were installed under King George VI, 46 that carry the cipher of Queen Elizabeth II and one with the Scottish crown.

The Hong Kong Post Office has announced it intends to cover up the royal insignia with a metal plaque, officially to “avoid confusion” among the public.

Conservationists are up in arms. “These are very valuable mailboxes,” said Peter Li Siu-man of Conservation Alliance. “They are antiques, street monuments that do not belong to a museum, but are part of Hong Kong’s heritage and daily life. They are made of cast iron, which makes them very durable.”

The group has created an Old Mailboxes Fans Facebook page, inviting members of the public to post photos of the royal cipher postboxes, with a Google map that allows them to locate each one.

They are antiques, street monuments that do not belong to a museum, but are part of Hong Kong’s heritage and daily life Peter Li Siu-man

The Post Office, which could not be reached for comment, has not explained further why the crowns on the mailboxes have suddenly become problematic, but many believe the political climate is to blame.

“There have been some very sensitive comments expressed recently on decolonisation,” said Li, referring to the angry remarks by Chen Zuo’er, a retired Beijing official who berated Hong Kong for its “failure at decolonisation”.

Chen, the former deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Bureau, did not mention that Hong Kong was a colony of election, with a population composed of refugees from the mainland, but instead criticised those who didn’t “cast aside the colonial legacy” as “harming Hong Kong”.

In a city where constant real estate developments have obliterated much of its colonial architectural heritage, even the humble royal-era mailboxes may soon be unrecognisable.