It's in the post

In times when communication is all about brief e-mails or cryptic short messages with their own bizarre syntax, An's letter box overflows with tons of mail, or rather, postcards. Pointing to her latest booty, she exclaims in excitement, "These are definitely limited edition!"

The 26-year-old does more than just collect postcards. She is into DIY cards that she shares with friends from around the world.

An's room simply bursts with postcards - they are in the drawers, piled up on the bed and can even be found under her pillow. "Here are the ones from Canada and Bolivia," says An, pointing to the most recent arrivals into her letter box.

So far, she has been to more than 25 cities of China and crafted thousands of postcards to share with complete strangers from all corners of the world.

"Many have never been to China but became interested in the country after coming across my postcards on my blog, and introduced me to Postcrossing, a great website for postcards exchange. Quite a few have already ordered Beijing Olympics-themed DIY cards from me," says An, who works for a photography magazine in Beijing.

Her interest in making postcards was sparked by her colleagues, who all have a background in the arts.

One day, while shopping on-line, a shop selling blank postcards attracted her attention. One sentence in their advertisement was of particular interest: "If you're able to send your friends a postcard with images of yourself or a beautiful landscape you encountered on a trip, that will be the most fascinating thing in the world!"

An thought to herself: "Every time I try to remember an exciting trip from the past, all I have to do is look at my postcards with the pictures that I have taken. By looking at the postmarks, I can recall the dates of the trip and relive the joyful moments."

An started buying local postcards during her trips but soon realized that they were rather boring.

She found a way out with DIY cards. Before her trip to the south of Gansu province during the National Day Holiday last year, she decided to make picture postcards of her travel destinations and mail them back to herself. "It is much more fun than regular local postcards."

An says many people asked for these postcards after seeing them on her blog. Another amazing thing about DIY postcards is that one can personalize them. It is here that a portable printer comes in handy. One can record moments which can suddenly disappear, and relive them at any time later.

From deciding on the composition and light requirements while taking the photographs to developing the pictures and scanning and printing them, An relishes every moment spent on these postcards.

"To me, they are unique and joyful. They are my most prized possession," she says.

Looking at these postcards, she forgets all the hardships encountered on her trips, leaving her with sweet memories of Nature's beauty and bounty.

(China Daily 05/03/2008 page6)