Chinese companies have come up with an innovative idea called "future mail" to resurrect the traditional hand delivered postal service which was drastically hit by e-mail and SMS services.

The concept of the "Future Mail" is that people can write their letters in advance that would be delivered on the day designated by customers, Zheng Zhimin, manager at a "future mail" company in Hefei said.

The companies are targeting eventful days like birthdays, Mother's Day and marriage days etc for people to write their message early with instructions to deliver on a date of their choice.

Companies delivering mail as slowly as their customers want are popping up all over China, in cities like Beijing, Chongqing, Hefei and Hangzhou.

The price of the service depends on how long clients want their mail to be held, and a longer period is more expensive, Xinhua newsagency reported.

Lin Xiaofan wrote the letter to her mother in advance, before she left home for a college in Beijing.

"I wrote what I was feeling at the moment. And I wanted to express my thanks and love to my mother for next Mother's Day," she says.

"Offering this service makes people slow down and let them understand the meaning of 'time' in another way," Zheng said adding that "future mail" letters are "reminders of and catalysts for affection, friendship and love".

The new concept if successful could leave some scope for the hand delivered postal system, some room to operate in the world of e-mail and SMS, the companies hope.

While "future mail" is gaining popularity, some are concerned about what happens if the postal address of the recipient changes. Also, what if the company goes broke before letters are delivered.

Zheng said customers are required to complete an acceptance form and make an assessment so they can be compensated if their letters or goods are lost or damaged.

"We keep the telephone numbers and the addresses of the clients so that we can send their letters back if we are going to fail to deliver," she said.

In Beijing, one "future mail" company is considering renting a safe-deposit box at a bank for letters and goods to be stored to ensure their security over long periods.

Most of the business's customers are college students and young white-collar workers.

Psychologists said young Chinese might have a new vent for their pent-up feelings through the service.

"People living in modern cities may feel so stressed that some of them become lonely and confused, but 'future mail' can bring some comfort to them.

They can record, express and share their feelings by writing a letter.

They then can send it to the future to relieve their stress and anxieties," Fan Chenghui, a psychologist in Hefei, said.

"Some write down their life goals. This is actually a form of self-encouragement for young people," Fan said.