In the vast Tengger Desert, an unexpected building comes into view: a 15-square-meter greenhouse, a post office, which can be reached by a 10-kilometer trek from the nearest road.
In this inhospitable region of China's fourth-largest desert, it's easy to get lost.
Despite being sparsely populated, a 37-year-old entrepreneur leads her team through the desert every week, collecting mail from the post office and planting trees in the surrounding oasis. This routine has been going on for three years.
A customer places an order at my ** store – sending a postcard or adopting a tree. There are many reasons to send a letter and adopt a Christmas tree – some to plant a tree for a beloved pet, others to dedicate one to a virtual idol in the anime world. Some people will even plant trees to commemorate their deceased friends, hoping that their lives will continue in the form of trees," said Gao Tangtang, founder of Ningxia Wind Will Cultural Creativity.
Rather than call it the post office, I prefer to call it 'Worry Relief Mall'. I want to use this way to make more people feel ** and warmth, no matter what difficulties they encounter in life. ”
Gao came up with the idea in 2017.
At that time, I happened to travel in the desert and felt a unique force of nature. In the desert, even the most important concerns seem insignificant. I want to share this powerful experience with more people. ”
During one such trip, Gao stumbles upon an abandoned post office. Local herders told her that 36 years ago, it was an important link between them and the outside world.
In 2021, Ms. Gao quit her marketing job and obtained permission from China Post to remodel the post office. On Arbor Day that year, she launched the "Desert Tree Farming" service and launched it on **.
Customers can place an order in her store and have her write a postcard through the desert post office and send it out, ** for 28$8 ($4), or plant a tree in a nearby oasis for $199. Adopters can view updates remotely through a small program on WeChat.
In May of this year, a young mother with cancer approached Gao and expressed her desire to adopt a tree. She had just received a radiation** and was not sure how long she would be with her one-year-old child, so she asked Gao to send this postcard and the tree's ** to her child in 10 years.
She said it would be great if she could still read the card ten years later and see the tree with her children.
When I heard this heartfelt request, as a mother, I couldn't hold back my tears. The mother wanted to expand the dimension of love in such an ordinary and profound way. It also makes me, as a mother, feel that what I do is worthwhile. ”
Tao Mengran, a ** in Beijing, recently visited Gao's store, and she placed her order because in this fast-changing world, a tree symbolizes eternity.
She thinks the idea of planting a tree in the desert is special enough to commemorate the college friendship on the day she and her best friend graduate.
"It's like creating a special and long-lasting bond with friends who may not see each other very often after they start working," Tao says. ”
In the past year, Gao has sent out more than 20,000 letters from deep in the desert and planted 10,000 trees near the post office. Her company has grown from an individual business to a team of more than a dozen people.
Gao admits that just planting trees and sending postcards doesn't bring her store a decent profit.
In a good situation, the total income for a month is about 50,000 yuan, and on average, about 10,000 to 20,000 yuan. Counting labor and other costs, there's not much left. Recently, I introduced a service on the Mini Program for adopters to view trees, which added more financial pressure.
I want to continue to do this business, which inevitably requires us to have a profitable channel in addition to passion. At present, we are launching a series of cultural and creative products with tens of yuan. Fans who support us place orders frequently. We are exploring more business models. ”