Art of letter writing being killed off by Internet in China ( 2003-12-01 09:52) (Xinhua)
Having worked as a mailman for 18 straight years, Lao Chen is delivering less
private letters, but more commercial ones.
"Only about one of the 10 letters I'm delivering is private mail," said Lao
Chen with the Panlong Post Office in Kunming city, the capital city of southwest
China's Yunnan province. "Who still bother to write with a pen since there are
so many new communication ways these days?"
Figures from the Kunming Municipal Post Office show that private mail makes
up only 15 to 20 percent of the total mail processed, while the city's
commercial letters are increasing by over 30 percent each year.
In an era marked by efficiency, speed has become the dominating factor
deciding what kind of communication people will choose.
"I write long e-mails through the internet, send short messages through
mobile phones and listen to my friends' voices through telephones. Isn't that
enough? Writing snail mail? That's too slow, " said a 24-year-old civil servant
surnamed Wang.
Sociologists estimate that more than 90 percent of people under the age of 30
have given up writing letters and only some of those aged above 45 still
maintain the habit.
"More young men are connecting with each other through phones, e-mails or
mobile phone short messages. If things go on like this, hand-written letters
will die out very soon," said Prof. Qian Ning, a noted sociologist with
prestigious Yunnan University.
Prof. Qian advised young people to spend more time to write letters to their
parents, families or bosom friends, which might provide a pleasant surprise.
Hand-written letters contain many properties which could not be substituted
by other means of communication. Speedy communication methods flatten and
simplify communication, but also feelings, Prof. Qian said.
