Solace from the desert

Gao, originally from Shanxi province, made several trips to the desert between 2016 and 2017 during a difficult period in her working life in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. During her trips to the desert, she realized her personal troubles were insignificant against the vastness of the desert, while walking in the desert allowed her to indulge in self-introspection.

In 2021, after learning from locals that a post office existed in the Tengger Desert, she decided to turn into reality her long-held dream of opening a store to provide people with products and services that would ease their worries. She spent nearly 100,000 yuan ($14,000) to rebuild a wooden house with a tin roof on the approximate spot where the old post office stood. She also set up a campsite about 5 kilometers from the post office.

Both the post office and campsite are simple structures, with all the necessities being transported from outside. People visiting the place bring some supplies. The rest is delivered once a week. However, from November to April, that is, during the harsh winter months, the supplies are delivered once a month.

Gao's team consists of nine people. In the beginning, her friends didn't quite understand her endeavor. One of her friends once asked, "How are you going to run a post office? How will it make money?" Gao said that many brands are engaged in the "emotional healing" business, with most of them doing well, and she has collaborated with some of them to run joint campaigns. So she too can survive.

"This is my career now. While people talk about passion, doing what you love also needs to be commercially viable. Some succeed, some fail. Everyone faces their own challenges, but I feel luckier than most because I am doing something I love," she said.

The post office uses its own stamp, and the letters and postcards need to be transported from the desert to the nearest town to be mailed to the addressees through China Post. Most of the mails are sent as regular letters, passing through various postal stops, with the stamps marking the course of their journey — something Gao and the recipients of the letters find deeply meaningful.

In March 2022, the post office planted nearly 10,000 trees for the National Tree Planting Day (observed on March 12 every year) near the campsite as a way to celebrate Mother Nature. This prompted many people to come forward and place orders on Taobao to adopt a tree in the desert.

"These trees, with a lifespan of more than 100 years, will outlive the emotions they represent, establishing a lasting connection between their benefactors and the world," she said.

Sharing her story, the mother of a child who regularly communicates with Gao said she has been diagnosed with cancer, and her child is only about one year old. She adopted a tree and hoped her child would be able to visit it and feel her love maybe 10 years later. The tree has thus become an extension of her emotions.

Gao said that some people come to see the trees they've adopted, though their stories remain unknown. Some adopt trees in memory of friends who have died. They see their friends in these trees. Couples, too, frequently plant trees together.

"From my school days to my work life, I've always made my own choices. I've always been an introvert, but I deeply empathize with people around me," Gao said."I think many people in the world are like me — they need a place to speak. City dwellers might feel tense during the day and lonely at night. This place provides them with comfort."