The Postal Route, 1933

In the 1930s, warlords battled for power, the nation was in crisis, and every industry needed rebuilding. Control of the postal service meant sovereignty. Logistics, transportation, and communications were all swept up in the winds of a great era. After graduating from university, the eldest young master of a major salt-trading family in southern Sichuan set off on an unusual graduation trip. A young master from a chieftain’s family, defeated in the struggle to inherit the title, ended up in Rongcheng. The eldest daughter of a scholarly family in Jiangnan joined a newspaper, aspiring to become the finest reporter in the country. They met amid the turmoil and formed a friendship. In this turbulent era, they witnessed the beginnings of a century of postal development in Sichuan and Chongqing, and much more of history besides. Their choices, meanwhile, would unknowingly change the fates of many people...