Gu Shaoqiang and her husband [Chengdu Economic Daily/Wang Qin]

Last year, a teacher's short resignation letter went viral, drawing its author Gu Shaoqiang into the limelight. The letter only contained 10 Chinese characters - "The world is so big, I want to see it."

A year after following her dream of traveling the country, Gu has settled down in an ancient town near the city of Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, where she runs an inn and is expecting a child.

"This is what I've longed for – operating a hostel, climbing mountains with friends, driving to the cinema on weekends, and committing to volunteer work in my spare time," she said.

Pregnancy
Gu has been expecting for about a month. "We didn't make any preparation; it was just a surprise pregnancy. We are delighted," she exclaimed.

Meanwhile, she is writing a new book which recounts her resignation, travel stories, and life experience.

Managing the Inn
Gu and her husband have put an enormous amount of time and energy into their new business. In busy seasons, the hostel is completely full, but in low seasons they have very few customers.

According to her husband, 90 percent of their customers come to meet the famous ex-teacher. Some even come from foreign countries such as Australia, the U.S. and Canada.

However, some of their customers are not as polite.

One day, when Gu was taking a nap on a bench, a person turned up unannounced, took several photos, and then ran out.

Others asked her to write the 10-character letter for them as soon as they see her.

"One piece is not enough. One customer asked for five pieces to give others as presents," her husband sighed.

Commercial Cooperation

"Most TV channels came to us, but we only agreed to participate in three programs," her husband said.

"I only participate in realistic TV programs that are more natural. Honesty is important," Gu emphasized.

In the past year, Gu has tried a number of business endeavors thanks to her famed resignation letter:

She was employed as a travel experience specialist by a tourism company in Zhengzhou, capital city of central China's Henan Province in August, enjoying free trips to scenic spots. Later, in October, her handwriting was added to the Founder's Character Library, earning her extra revenue as people purchased the script. She also signed an agreement with an O2O (Online to Offline) education platform with no fixed income.

Some netizens think Gu"s "feeling" has been "commercialized" but she claims she is only interested inbusiness ventures that adhere to her own ideals.

When choosing commercial activities, she sticks to three principles: jobs she is interested in, jobs she is capable of, and jobs which have significance.

Non-profit Activities

The couple collected 10,000 yuan (U.S.$ 1,500) for a child with leukemia in Sichuan.

Now they are saving donations for another child from the same region.

According to Gu, the inn is only a means of living, but they plan on spending extra income in charitable causes.

The couple plans to set up a school for impoverished local children.

They also plan to establish a fund to donate books and second-hand clothes to impoverished mountainous areas.

"I was a teacher, so I always hope children can have the chance to study," Gu expressed.

Several months ago, the couple organized a campaign where customers who called their family members and said "I love you" would enjoy a discount.

"We just hope people can express their love and live life showing love to others. That can't be measured with time or money," she said.
 

Gu Shaoqiang sits in her inn. [Chengdu Economic Daily/Wang Qin]

(Source: Chengdu Economic Daily / Translated and edited by Women of China)

By Gu BoEditor: Joyce Dong