Letters carry heartfelt love from the Tengger Desert
Entrepreneur repurposes abandoned post office to spread care, plant trees
In the vast Tengger Desert, an unexpected structure greets the eye: a 15-square-meter green house — a post office, accessible only after a challenging 10-kilometer trek through the sands from the nearest road.
It is easy to lose one’s way in this desolate area, situated in China’s fourth-largest desert.
Despite its sparse human presence, a 37-year-old entrepreneur leads her team through the desert every week to collect mail from the post office and plant trees in the surrounding oasis. This routine has persisted for three years.
“Customers place orders from my Taobao store — sending postcards or adopting a tree. The reasons behind the letters and tree adoptions are diverse — from planting a tree for a beloved pet to dedicating one to a virtual idol from the world of anime. Some even plant trees in memory of a departed friend, hoping their life will continue in the form of a tree,” said Gao Tangtang, founder of Ningxia Wind’s Will Culture and Creative Co Ltd.
“Rather than calling it a post office, I prefer to call it a ‘Worry-Relief Emporium’. I want to use this approach to make more people feel (a sense of) healing and warmth, regardless of the difficulties they encounter in life,” she said.
Gao conceived this entrepreneurial idea in 2017.
“At that time, I happened to be traveling in the desert and felt a unique natural force. In the desert, even the most significant worries seem trivial. I wanted to share this powerful experience with more people.”
On one such trip, Gao stumbled upon an abandoned post office. Local herders told her that it had served as a vital link between them and the outside world 36 years ago.
In 2021, Gao left her marketing job, obtained permission from China Post, and reconstructed the post office. During Chinese Arbor Day that year, she introduced the “Adopting a Tree in the Desert” service and launched it on Taobao.
Customers can place orders at her store, asking her to write and send postcards through the desert post office for 28.8 yuan ($4), or plant a tree in the nearby oasis for 199 yuan. Tree adopters can remotely view photo updates through a mini-program on WeChat.
In May, a young mother battling cancer reached out to Gao, expressing her desire to adopt a tree. Having just undergone radiation therapy and uncertain about how long she could be with her one-yearold baby, she requested Gao to send the postcard and a photo of the tree to her child after 10 years.
She said it would be amazing if she could still read the card and see pictures of the tree along with her child after a decade.
“When I heard about this heartfelt request, as a mother myself, I couldn’t hold back tears. This mother wants to extend the dimension of love in such an ordinary, yet profound way. This also made me, as a mother, feel that what I am doing is valuable,” Gao said.
Tao Mengran, a Beijing-based officer and a recent customer of Gao’s store, made her order with a belief that a tree symbolizes eternity in this rapidly changing world.
She sees the idea of having a tree in a desert as special enough to commemorate college friendship on the day she and her close friends graduate.
“It’s like having a special and longstanding connection with friends who may seldom see each other after starting to work,” Tao said.
Over the past year, Gao has sent over 20,000 letters from the depths of the desert and planted 10,000 trees in the vicinity of the post office. Her company has expanded from a solo venture to a team of over a dozen individuals.
Gao admits that merely planting trees and sending postcards do not generate substantial profits for her store.
“On a good month, it’s about 50,000 yuan in total revenue, and on average, it’s around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan. After factoring in labor and other costs, there’s not much left. Recently, I introduced a service on the mini-program for adopters to view the trees, adding more financial pressure.
“I want to continue doing this business, which inevitably requires us to have a profitable channel in addition to passion. Currently, we are launching a series of cultural and creative products priced around several dozen yuan. Fans who support us often place orders. We are exploring more business models,” Gao said.