Letters that heal the heart

Former designer revives a lost art by starting business that crafts handwritten notes on behalf of others, Wang Qian reports.

As technology makes communication easier and quicker, handwritten letters are nearly a thing of the past.

But it is making a comeback on Feng Shengjing's desk. The 34-year-old from Chengdu, Sichuan province, started an online nostalgic letter-writing business in February last year, writing and mailing hundreds of letters on behalf of others.

"Behind every letter, there is a touching story. And listening to their stories makes me reflect on my own," Feng says. She has written letters of appreciation, apologies for wrongdoings, love letters and breakup letters.

Her story has gone viral on social media, triggering wide discussion on the lost art of letter writing. It has been viewed more than 14 million times on the micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo.

The idea of writing letters for others came when Feng tried to draw and write on her iPad to beat boredom during quarantine. Then, she opened an online store for letter writing. Up till last month, she worked for a local illustration and design company in the day, and worked on her online business as a scribe at night.