Chunghwa Post Co yesterday said that it will not immediately move a pair of “crooked” mailboxes on Longjiang Road in Taipei, adding that it would discuss with experts an appropriate location to display the typhoon-affected oddities.
The mailboxes drew crowds after a sign fell on them when Typhoon Soudelor hit the nation last week, causing the pair to tilt to the side.
The decision to postpone the relocation of the mailboxes came one day after the company said they would be moved to Beimen Post Office near the Taipei Railway Station.
People lining up to see the mailboxes had caused traffic chaos on the street, the company said.
However, the plan to move the mailboxes drew criticisms from officials and netizens.
Former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) said on Facebook that relocating the mailboxes would be “real stupidity,” turning the mailboxes from a display that could “generate memories and smiles” into a pair of “damaged, meaningless steel cans.”
Chunghwa Post chairman Philip Ong (翁文祺) yesterday afternoon convened a meeting to discuss whether the mailboxes were to stay or to go.
Chunghwa Post chief secretary Wang Shu-ming (王淑敏) said that the company decided to not move the mailboxes for now because they have become a cultural asset.
“People in Taipei like them very much, so we would like to confer further with experts to determine whether they should be moved,” Wang said.
Wang did not say whether the decision to halt the relocation had anything do with Lung’s post.
According to Chunghwa Post, the mailboxes have been tilted further after being pushed by so many visitors over the past few days, adding that their supports would need reinforcing.
The company advised visitors to take care when visiting the site and try to preserve the mailboxes.
The company had asked postal workers to help maintain order at the site, but yesterday said that it would hire private security personnel to ensure order is maintained at the site.
“As the mailboxes are now a tourist attraction, we would like to work with the Taipei City Government to maintain order at the site and ensure public safety,” the company said.
People posting mail in either of the tilted mailboxes will have a seal featuring the mailboxes stamped on the envelopes, the company said, adding that the promotion would run until a final decision is made on where mailboxes are to be displayed.
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