By Li Linlu
In the autumn of 2025, students from the School of International Studies at the Communication University of China once again joined hands with the Blue Letter Project, a nationwide public welfare initiative that connects university volunteers with rural children through handwritten letters. By exchanging words filled with warmth, encouragement, and sincerity, these young volunteers aim to spread love, share hope, and build emotional bridges across time and distance. For many children in rural areas, a simple letter can carry more than words—it carries hope, understanding, and love that transcends geography, sometimes bringing light into moments of loneliness or uncertainty.
The Blue Letter Project was founded in 2008 by a group of university students who believed in the power of words to comfort hearts. Despite the rapid rise of digital communication, this project insists on maintaining the tradition of paper letters—because handwritten messages carry sincerity, patience, and care that instant messages can never replace. For rural children, especially left-behind ones whose parents work far from home, every letter is not only a piece of paper but also a source of companionship and emotional strength.
In CUC, the project has attracted growing attention among SIS students. Over the past year, the volunteer team recruited more than 300 ambassadors. They correspond regularly with children from
different provinces, sharing stories about university life, offering words of encouragement, and listening attentively to their pen pals’ joys and worries. For many, the letters are a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and engage meaningfully with another human being’s experience.
Unlike fleeting messages or fragmented information on social media, writing a letter carries a slower, deeper kind of communication. Ou Chuyao, a student majoring in English in CUC, shared her experience. “Writing letters is a meaningful way for people to communicate emotionally. In today’s world, where instant messages dominate, people lack a complete channel to express their feelings and be heard. The Blue letter project offers this rare opportunity—for both rural children and volunteers like us,” she said.
Ou Chuyao has been paired with a student named Li Mengmeng from the very beginning of her volunteer journey. Due to communication problems at the school, Li once went through an entire semester without being able to send out a letter. However, neither of them gave up; instead, they patiently waited for each other’s messages. Later, they reconnected and have continued their correspondence till now.
The Letter from Li Mengmeng
Every month, they exchange one letter, sharing their daily lives and including photos of their surroundings. Li Mengmeng gradually opened up, first writing about hobbies and interests, and then about more personal matters, like her relationship with her younger sister or the emotions she felt about transferring schools. “Every letter carried a kind of warmth that words alone couldn’t fully express. It felt like we were growing together through these exchanges,” Ou Chuyao recalled.
The Letter from Ou Chuyao
My own experience as a Blue Letter ambassador has been equally meaningful. I was paired with a girl named Zhao Wanqi. From the very beginning, our letters were filled with curiosity and trust. Zhao often shared with me her life in the countryside, her daily routines, and the things she dreamed of doing in the future. Over time, she started to confide more about her feelings—her worries about studies, her small joys with friends, and her thoughts about her family.
The Letter from Zhao Wanqi
In return, I shared with her my own experiences as a university student in the city, sending her stories, photos of my campus, and snapshots of beautiful scenery. What moved me most was how a simple letter could bridge two different lives and build an invisible yet strong emotional bond. This exchange was not a one-way act of giving help, but a mutual process of encouragement and understanding. We grew together with every word written on the page.
The Letter from Li Linlu
In addition to writing letters, SIS volunteers actively share their experiences through campus events. For example, in September, the SIS volunteer group organized on-campus booth activities, where students could introduce the Blue Letter Project, display volunteers’ letters, and share stories from their own exchanges. These booths not only inform others about the project but also encourage more classmates to sign up and join the Blue Letter family. Through face-to-face interactions, the volunteers hope to inspire more young people to experience the joy of handwritten communication, to appreciate the patience and thoughtfulness involved, and to pass on love and encouragement through words.
On-campus Booth Activities
Beyond the campus, the impact of these letters continues to grow. Many children have improved their writing skills, developed confidence, and gained a sense of belonging through regular exchanges. Some even express dreams of studying in big cities one day—perhaps at CUC itself. As one child wrote in a letter, “Your letters make me feel that someone far away cares about me. I also want to study hard and see the bigger world you described.” These words highlight how consistent, caring communication can help children imagine a brighter future.
Such heartfelt exchanges demonstrate the quiet but lasting power of handwritten letters. In an era dominated by fast information and fleeting messages, the Blue Letter Project reminds people that slow communication can heal hearts. For CUC students, every letter sealed and every story shared becomes a bridge connecting two lives and two dreams, creating bonds that may endure for years.
As the 2025 Blue Letter Project continues, students from the School of International Studies will keep writing, believing that love and hope can travel through words. With every blue letter sent, they prove that even small acts of kindness can shine brightly in someone’s world—just like a letter traveling through mountains, carrying warmth, courage, and dreams.
Editor: Fang Yiran
Photo Editor：Ou Chuyao, Li Linlu, Blue Letter Project,
Volunteer Service Team of School of International, CUC
Responsible Editor:Shao Jianyu
Managing Editor: Yu Ran,Yang Zhongtian
