Citizens in Shanghai write words of encouragement to the people and frontline staff in Wuhan, Hubei province on March 12. (Photo: China Daily)

Shanghai Post launched its "Blessing Wuhan" campaign on March 12. The campaign attracted a crowd at a branch of Shanghai Post in Putuo district where they wrote postcards for the residents and frontline workers in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As part of the campaign, Shanghai residents can choose from a special selection of free postcards at 50 post offices in the city or randomly receive them from the food delivery service Eleme's personnel while ordering meals.

Each postcard features a quote by Zhang Wenhong, the celebrity doctor from the Shanghai Huashan Hospital and the leader of the Shanghai team of experts in the treatment of cases of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, which reads: "Everyone is a soldier, you are not quarantined at home, you are fighting!"

Over 100,000 postcards will be transported to Wuhan together with other supplies by Shanghai Post on March 18.

"We have always had a tradition of sending postcards. We believe that the written language can be very powerful," said Li Qian, who is responsible for the philately and cultural media department of Shanghai Post.