Of the 1,148 postboxes in Hong Kong, 59 of them were erected before the Handover and still feature the royal cypher of the British Royal family.

But now Hongkong Post is covering up the emblems with the postal service’s own logo, and there are even plans to remove some of the city’s century-old mailboxes.

Conservation groups have decried this destruction of the city’s heritage, while lawmaker Claudia Mo has alleged that officials from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau ordered the cover-up.

Our take: What harm are they doing, exactly? Are post office workers suddenly feeling oppressed by monarchist semiments?