Backpacker Feng Nan traveled across most of China before graduation

The disappointment of graduation, the confusion of job hunting... What would you do in the face of all this? The protagonist of today—a young woman named Feng Nan, only 23 years old—chose to travel alone. Starting from Rizhao, she spent two months traveling through Jinan, Liaocheng, Heze, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Pingyao, Chengdu, Leshan, Mount Emei, Jiuzhaigou, Wenchuan... Each stop left behind her story. Feng Nan told reporters that traveling is not about escaping reality, but about seeing the beauty of the world more clearly, so that one can bravely live on while cherishing that beauty.

Feng Nan is a graduate of Rizhao Vocational and Technical College. In June this year, she and her classmates will bid farewell to campus and step into society to begin their respective lives. As a photography major at a vocational college, Feng Nan and her peers undoubtedly faced greater pressure when it came to employment or further studies. In the months leading up to graduation, Feng Nan also fell into a state of overall bewilderment and helplessness.

"So I thought about going out for a walk, maybe it would bring a different mood," Feng Nan told reporters. In April this year, feeling lost and helpless, she came up with the idea of going out for a walk, and thus, a solo graduation trip began. Acting on impulse, she packed her bags and set off westward from Rizhao, traveling through Jinan, Liaocheng, Heze, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Pingyao, Chengdu, Leshan, Mount Emei, Jiuzhaigou, Wenchuan... Over the course of two months, she left her footprints across most of China, covering a distance of 20,000 li.

Not wanting "to let youth fade into twilight," Feng Nan said that in the generally oppressive atmosphere of graduation, it wasn’t that she was particularly carefree, but rather that she wanted to bravely pursue what she wanted while she was still young, and not let her dreams be hindered by various real-life reasons after entering society. She had originally planned to travel around the entire country before graduation, but in June, due to graduation defenses and various graduation-related matters, Feng Nan ended her trip across China. "Places like Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet, and Xinjiang—I didn’t get to go there yet, but I definitely have to make up for it in the future."

"Many classmates envy me for being able to go out and enjoy myself during such a stressful time of graduation, but actually, I think traveling is just another form of hardship," Feng Nan said. After leaving her province, her first stop was Zhengzhou, Henan. Later, she posted a request for help on an international couchsurfing website. Soon, a 28-year-old man responded very kindly to her request. This man, who runs his own company but is so low-key that he rides a bicycle to work every day, provided her with accommodation for her first stop.

"In most cities, I posted information like this, and I was able to keep going thanks to the help of many people. Many people selflessly helped me, and some even offered to be my tour guides." In every city she visited, Feng Nan would post her travel information on the website, and people would then leave comments offering her accommodation or tour guide assistance. During her journey, besides taking trains, the most common thing she did was use the universal hitchhiking gesture to ask for help. Feng Nan said that what made her happiest was that there was always someone who would stop for her.

Feng Nan said that what she gained from her travels was not only the joy of sightseeing but also the friendship and trust among strangers. Many people she had never met before gave her a lot of help. In Feng Nan’s travel diary, there is a passage that reads: "Walking on the road, enjoying the time, seeing the sights I’ve never seen before, walking the paths I’ve never walked before, meeting people I’ve never met before, no matter where they come from. Walking on the road is happiness, a kind of joy I’ve never felt before, and the most sincere truth deep within."

In Xi'an, Feng Nan posted a request for accommodation on the website, and a female designer who lived alone with her son hosted her. This designer lost her husband 10 years ago and raised her son alone. Originally beautiful, she also suffered facial disfigurement due to a car accident. But Feng Nan could not see the harm life had dealt her. Besides raising her son and working, this strong mother also enjoyed playing the guzheng and practicing tai chi in her spare time. Her home was also home to various pets, including dogs, cats, and turtles, and she herself was immersed in a peaceful and serene state. From her, Feng Nan said she learned the courage to live—no matter what, one must live bravely and strongly.

In early May, Feng Nan went to Wenchuan. In the rebuilt homes, Feng Nan met a group of particularly optimistic and strong people. "There was a driver who, during the Wenchuan earthquake, had a huge rock fall down, and the back five rows of his car were completely empty... This driver told me that only after experiencing life and death do you truly understand what it means to be alive," Feng Nan recalled. She could never forget that driver, who always wore a calm smile—the smile of someone who had experienced life and death and understood that safety is a blessing, deeply etched in her mind.

In Huanglong Scenic Area, Feng Nan climbed a mountain over 4,000 meters above sea level. With no altitude sickness at all, she took group photos for 80% of the tourists there. "Maybe my photography skills aren’t very good, but I fulfilled the greatest purpose of photography—capturing the beauty of that moment," Feng Nan said. On Qingcheng Mountain, Feng Nan met three backpackers who were "at their wits' end." Despite having very little money left herself, she chose to help them actively—not only buying them food but also walking down the mountain with them. "I hope that one day, if I encounter difficulties during my travels, there will also be strangers willing to believe in me and help me. When you choose to trust others, the world is a beautiful place."

Feng Nan’s hometown is a small town in Heze, Shandong Province. She told reporters that after graduating and returning home, she plans to open a public welfare photography exhibition in the town, showcasing the various sights she encountered during her travels to those who have never left their hometown in their lives. In the days to come, Feng Nan plans to continue her unfinished travels while working part-time, writing all her experiences into a book as the best testament to her youth.