E-Paper
‘I am 20 years older’: Chinese man's 3,300 km journey through wilderness
When Liqi arrived in Tibet, his hair had grown wild, his skin darkened by the sun, and his once-youthful face now carried the weight of time and struggle.
A 31-year-old Chinese man walked 3,300 kilometres from Hubei in central China to Lhasa in Tibet in a year with a two-wheeler cart. After a journey through mountains, valleys, snowstorms, and typhoons, Liqi is coming back a changed man in more than one way.
He started the adventure in April last year with a budget of just 1000 yuan (Rs. 12,000) per month from Jingzhou, Hubei. Just less than a year later, he had his body battered, his knee injured, and his face 20 years older.
"I am 20 years older than when I started my journey," he said, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
The man slept under the open sky, and rarely took a bath. Having limited means to survive, he cooked frugal meals. When Liqi arrived in Tibet, his hair had grown wild, his skin darkened by the sun, and his once-youthful face now carried the weight of time and struggle.
"I just live in my own way. It is not torturing myself, but another form of challenge," he added about his journey.
Also read: 66-year-old grandma, who cycled solo across 12 nations, now aims for the world
Chinese man's route in the 3,300 kilometre-long journey
Starting in Jingzhou, Liqi’s 3,300-kilometre-long route took him on one of the toughest routes through the country's toughest terrains, the man encountered mountains and endured extreme weather with all his supplies on his two-wheeler cart. According to the SCMP report, he was even stranded on a peak during a blizzard for an entire day without food at one point.
The terrain and the weather weren't his only problems though as he was constantly under threat from Wild animals. Luqi came across wild wolves twice during his journey. He had to also constantly improvise to survive, with his cart tumbling into a ditch and breaking its wheels. He repaired the wheels somehow and kept moving.
Also read: Man walks out with ₹1.66 lakh after bank employee mistakenly hands over wrong currency notes
The 31-year old also battled a severe knee injury in the final stretch of the journey. Cooking his own food with ingredients he found on the way, he spent most of the nights in the wilderness although sometimes, he found shelter in forest protection offices or gas stations.
Liqi’s torn clothes and unruly appearance did not deter him from his path. Despite all the hardships he came across, the man was all in for the experience. People have accused him of trying to seek attention, a claim that Liqi dismissed through his livestream.
He arrived in Lhasa in Tibet on March 11. With his body exhausted and his finances drained, Liqi decided to take a train home. But first, he had a few plans - his first bath in months, a much-needed haircut, and sharing his story with the public.
