Postal Routes Opened to Remote Outposts, Front-Line Personnel of the Information Support Force Enjoy Efficient Logistics
Front-Line Personnel of the Information Support Force Enjoy Efficient Logistics——
13 Remote Outposts Welcome the "Happiness Express"
■ Geng Shangzhong
Personnel signing for deliveries. Photo by Lang Tianzhuang
Recently, the Information Support Force joined hands with the State Post Bureau and China Post Group Co., Ltd. to advance the opening of postal routes to remote outposts and their integration into the national logistics system, clearing the "last mile" of efficient logistics.
According to reports, from the northwest Gobi Desert to the snow-covered plateau, from the deep mountains of the northeast to the southwestern frontier, 13 remote outposts of the force—characterized by poor road conditions, weak social support infrastructure, harsh natural conditions, and great difficulty in postal access—have achieved regular mail delivery. Services cover letters, newspapers and periodicals, parcels, and express delivery, allowing personnel to enjoy the convenience of efficient logistics.
For a long time, many remote outposts under the Information Support Force have faced logistical support difficulties: the Hongshanhe Maintenance Station, located at an elevation of over 5,000 meters, is more than 100 kilometers from the nearest logistics distribution point, making it time-consuming and laborious for personnel to send and receive parcels; a certain communications station garrisoning the Tibet border area has no permanent residents within dozens of kilometers, and urgently needed supplies for training and daily life have often required weeks of waiting; a deep-mountain outpost in the northeast sees winter temperatures drop below -20°C, creating harsh conditions for supply delivery……
"Increasing delivery frequency, improving service levels, and efficiently meeting personnel's postal needs is the only way to enhance the sense of gain and happiness (获得感、幸福感) of front-line border and coastal defense personnel." The force's Party committee took proactive action, incorporating the advancement of postal route openings at remote outposts into its list of concrete matters to be handled for the grassroots, convening special coordination meetings, conducting thorough surveys of each remote outpost's situation, and establishing two reference documents—an "outpost map" and a "requirements list"—to precisely capture information on each outpost's transportation, climate, material needs, and delivery bottlenecks.
To thoroughly clear the "last mile" of efficient logistics at remote outposts, they organized multiple on-site civil-military coordination meetings, driving the establishment of working mechanisms for civil-military coordination, tiered support, and emergency backstop guarantees; they organized postal delivery personnel to conduct on-site research at remote outposts including Hongshanhe, Kunlun Mountain Pass, the Tibet Plateau, and northeastern forest areas, optimizing and designing mail delivery routes, and exploring the establishment of a support model combining "fixed scheduled runs and emergency mobile response."
Through the joint efforts of both military and civilian parties, the force's 13 remote outposts welcomed the "Happiness Express": after the postal routes opened, the Hongshanhe Maintenance Station achieved weekly supply delivery; delivery frequency at remote outposts in the northeast, southwest, and high-altitude areas of Tibet was raised to three or more times per week; average delivery time was shortened from 7 days to within 2 days; and urgently needed supplies such as daily necessities, emergency medicines, and electronic consumables are now delivered point-to-point with precision……
"Having been stationed on the plateau for many years, watching postal routes extend one by one to the border defense, we truly feel the care of every level for front-line personnel—the border posts are no longer so remote." Staff Sergeant (Second Class) Shang Weiguo of the Tianshuihai Maintenance Station said: "This warmth is the motivation and confidence that keeps us rooted on the plateau and fulfilling our mission."
"Opening postal routes is not only about delivering warmth—it is about delivering support capability (保障力) and combat effectiveness (战斗力)." A force leader explained that through civil-military collaborative efforts, they have not only effectively resolved the logistical support difficulties that have long troubled personnel, but have also improved and refined an emergency transportation system that integrates peacetime and wartime functions. In the next phase, they will explore the establishment of a logistics and distribution information platform for remote outposts, providing personnel with more efficient and unobstructed logistics support through deep integration with local logistics and e-commerce platforms.
"From Now On, the Mountains Are No Longer High, the Roads No Longer Long"
■ Cao Tingming, Li Zihan, PLA Daily Reporter Li Lei
April on the plateau, with the lingering chill of late spring. The reporter arrived at the Tianshuihai Maintenance Station of a unit of the Information Support Force, situated at an elevation of over 5,000 meters.
"It's here, it's here!" A burst of cheers broke the quiet of the garrison. Personnel ran out of the barracks one after another, their faces full of anticipation. Not far away, a transport vehicle bearing the words "China Post" was slowly pulling in.
The vehicle came to a stop, and parcels were unloaded one by one. Personnel lined up in an orderly fashion to collect their packages. Staff Sergeant (Second Class) Jin Mancang stood at the front of the line. The moment he took hold of his parcel, he broke into a grin.
"Now that the spare parts are here, I feel a lot more at ease." Jin Mancang is a plumbing and heating maintenance worker who normally handles the company's pipeline repair tasks. Not long ago, a heavy snowfall suddenly struck Tianshuihai, and the company's heating pipes froze and cracked. He immediately placed an order for replacement parts. "From placing the order to delivery, it only took a few days—something that was unthinkable before." With the parts in hand, he and his comrades immediately set to work repairing the pipes.
While busy at work, Jin Mancang recounted a past incident to the reporter. A few years ago, on a winter night, temperatures plummeted suddenly and the company's heating pipes froze and cracked. The mountain was sealed by heavy snow, and replacement parts could not be brought up. The entire maintenance station grew as cold as an "icehouse." Everyone moved the company's only four electric heaters into the equipment room to ensure communications equipment continued operating normally. Personnel crowded into a single dormitory room, relying on each other's body heat to "keep warm."
"In the past, when purchasing seasonal maintenance parts for vehicles, I had to plan carefully in advance—first contacting comrades on leave to confirm their return dates, then contacting suppliers down the mountain to stock up in advance, so that comrades could bring the parts up when they returned. Now that the postal route is open, there's no more worrying about missing the window." Vehicle driver Staff Sergeant (Second Class) Shang Weiguo picked up the thread.
Corporal Wang Jichen still remembers that when he first arrived at the company, if he wanted to buy any personal daily necessities, he could only entrust local personnel to send them up the mountain. Now, postal express delivery reaches directly to the garrison gate, and items Wang Jichen orders online can be delivered within a week. He said with a smile: "This postal route is like a beam of light that has brightened our lives."
The opening of the postal route has not only closed the geographic distance, but has also eased the longing in personnel's hearts. Corporal Chen Boda has loved his mother's homemade dried pork since childhood, but with his hometown far away in Guangdong, he had not enjoyed that "taste of home" since enlisting.
Upon learning that a postal route had opened to Tianshuihai, Chen Boda's mother was overjoyed and immediately packed and sent homemade food and local specialties. Opening the parcel and catching the familiar scent of home, Chen Boda could not conceal his emotion: "Being at the frontier and still being able to eat food sent from home—it fills me with happiness."
Company Commander Chen, who had only recently taken up his post at Tianshuihai, told the reporter that before departing for his assignment, worried about the inconvenience of shopping at the company, he had deliberately brought extra daily necessities—only to discover after reporting in that Tianshuihai had already opened a postal route. What surprised him even more was that a parcel of clothing sent by his family arrived at the company on the third day.
"We of this generation of border defenders have caught a good era of frontier development." Company Commander Chen said with feeling that on the day the parcel arrived, he organized a "Happiness Sharing Session" at the company, inviting personnel to take the stage and tell the stories behind their parcels.
Military physician Hou Weiyang took the stage holding a physiotherapy kit distributed by higher authorities, telling everyone "Guard the post with peace of mind—your health is my responsibility"; supply officer Corporal Wu Shikui received a bag of vegetable seeds and plans to use the company's "sunshine greenhouse" to give his comrades more fresh vegetables; and clerk Tang Xin showed everyone a hand-knitted sweater sent by his fiancée, made with love……
Listening to the stories shared by the personnel, the reporter too was moved: the distant frontier is no longer so distant, and behind the solitary vigil are countless deep and tender ties of longing. In that moment, the familiar lyrics of "The Heavenly Road (天路)" seemed to echo in the ear: "From now on, the mountains are no longer high, the roads no longer long……"