China sends email via snail mail

China's post office is inviting people to write mail on their computers and to have it hand delivered.

Users simply send their messages to the post office over the internet like email. The messages are automatically printed out and placed in an envelope, before being passed on to a postman for delivery.

A spokesman for Chinese Post said that the service is designed to streamline the postal system by linking those who have the technology with those who don't.

China had more than 33 million web users at the end of last year, but this is still only a tiny percentage of the population.

"This service will bridge the gap," said the spokesman. "We expect most of our customers to be small to medium sized businesses."

The service has been introduced in several provinces and regions, including Beijing and Shanghai.

According to Reuters the service is more costly than a normal letter, which currently costs 0.8 yuan (about 6p).

Under the terms of the new service, the first sheet will cost two yuan (about 15p) and the next three sheets 0.5 yuan (about 4p) each.