Two university students in Xiamen hitchhike back to Henan
Eleven days, 24 rides, and just 280 yuan
Have you seen the documentary "The Longest Way Home"? In it, Gu Yue and Liu Chang hitchhike all the way from Beijing to Berlin. This winter break, Yao Yangyang and Li Jinhao, sophomores at Xiamen University of Technology, lived out a similar adventure: departing Xiamen on January 15 and arriving at their hometown in Henan on the afternoon of the 25th—11 days, 1,705 kilometers, 24 rides, and a total cost of just 280 yuan. Yesterday, Yao Yangyang recounted their journey to a reporter from the Guide Daily.
Spending the night in an empty hospital ward
Their hitchhiking route was as follows: Xiamen → Fuzhou → Wuyishan → Leping, Jiangxi → Jiujiang → Wuhan → Xiaogan → Luohe → Xuchang.
On January 15, Yao Yangyang and Li Jinhao set off with a tent, sleeping bags, and some dry food. The first day went smoothly—the first ride took them to the Xiamen Shenhai Expressway toll station, and the second all the way to Putian. However, they had planned to spend the first night at a senior student’s place in Minqing, but they didn’t arrive in Minhou County until 9 p.m., with no way to get to Minqing. “Were we really going to sleep in a tent on the first night?” the pair finally came up with a solution: they found a hospital, explained their situation to the doctors and nurses, and spent the night in an empty ward.
Scoring a free ride through conversation
Most of the money they spent during the trip went toward food, and they only paid for accommodation on two nights—in hostels and small guesthouses. Hitchhiking itself cost nothing; they mostly rode in sedans and large trucks, but the most unusual ride was on a bus.
Scoring a ride on day five to Wuyuan, Jiangxi
On the fifth day of hitchhiking, the pair had planned to go to Wuyuan, Jiangxi, but were turned down many times. As they walked, they chatted with traffic police and drivers they met along the way. Finally, a bus driver, after hearing their story, agreed to give them a lift. The bus was heading to Jiujiang. The pair figured it was still in the direction of home, so they changed course and headed to Jiujiang instead.
Once hiked 20 kilometers
During the 11-day journey, they usually got rides quickly, but there were also tough times when they had to walk 10–20 kilometers in a day. “In the Jiangxi section, the mountain roads were rugged and remote. Once, a driver dropped us off on a secluded mountain road. We walked for three or four hours without seeing another vehicle, and we only had one compressed biscuit left in our pockets. We encouraged each other to keep going, and finally, we met a driver who took us to Dexing City,” Yao Yangyang said.
Grateful for the kindness of strangers