Recently, Yu Jian, a second-year law major at Wuhan Institute of Technology and a young man from Linzi, made a "crazy" decision — to take only some essential living items and 1,000 yuan in cash, and rely on hitchhiking and walking to return from Wuhan to his home in Linzi for the Spring Festival. This move has also attracted widespread attention online and in society. Faced with concern and skepticism, Yu Jian said he just wanted to train himself more while he’s still young. On the 20th, Yu Jian will arrive in Zhoukou, Henan, and our newspaper will continue to follow his 978.1-kilometer walk home.
A sophomore walks a thousand kilometers home for the holidays
When Yu Jian arrived in Zhumadian, Henan, on the 19th, he had completed one-third of his journey home. Just a month ago, this Zibo young man studying in Wuhan decided to walk all the way back to Zibo for the Spring Festival. On the 15th, he set off from Wuhan with only 1,000 yuan, embarking on this thousand-kilometer return trip. Yu Jian said that this was not a spontaneous trip, but a carefully prepared journey of endurance. Nearly a thousand kilometers, to be measured on foot.
Yu Jian, 21, from Linzi, Zibo, is a second-year law major at Wuhan Institute of Technology. A month ago, when his classmates were worried about getting tickets home, Yu Jian’s behavior seemed a bit “odd” — he was packing. Compressed biscuits, energy drinks, bottled water, scarves, masks, chargers… His actions caught the attention of his roommates. Yu Jian firmly told them, “I’ve decided. I’m going to walk home, just bringing the cost of a high-speed rail ticket!” His roommates were initially very surprised, but then they expressed support for his action.
The G258/G259 high-speed train from Wuhan to Zibo costs 608 yuan; the shortest straight-line distance between Wuhan and Zibo is 978.1 kilometers. To walk the entire way with only some essential items, facing freezing cold and heavy fog, the difficulty can be imagined. Walking requires ample cash, but Yu Jian only brought 600 yuan as “ticket money” and 400 yuan as “emergency money,” essentially adding difficulty to his own challenge.
Yu Jian said, “When I graduated from high school, I also thought about cycling from Zibo to Wuhan, but my parents strongly opposed it. This time, I finally convinced them.” Carefully prepared, to ensure safety along the way
A good friend of Yu Jian told reporters, “A month ago, Yu Jian was constantly checking Baidu Maps and Google Maps, talking to us about National Highway 105 and National Highway 107; he also bought a small booklet called ‘Urban and Rural Route Map’ and kept looking at it nonstop.”
Yu Jian said that he originally chose the shorter National Highway 105, but later found through map research that Highway 105 passes through fewer towns. To avoid sleeping outdoors and increase safety risks, he ultimately chose National Highway 107, which is slightly longer than 105 but passes through more towns, as his return route. Departing from Wuhan, passing through Xiaogan, Dawu, Guangshui, Zhumadian, Zhoukou, and other places, eventually arriving in Zibo.
Yu Jian had originally planned to buy a sleeping bag for camping in the wild. But his parents felt it was too dangerous to sleep outdoors in the dead of winter. After much consideration, Yu Jian took his parents’ advice and found a hotel in a nearby town every night to rest.
Blisters turned to calluses, never thought of giving up
On the 15th, the temperature in Wuhan was 10°C, perfect for Yu Jian who was walking home.
“The first day felt pretty good, I didn’t think too much about it, and it felt quite easy. Setting off from Wuhan, I arrived in Xiaogan City by the afternoon of the 15th. The whole way was filled with curiosity, so it didn’t feel that boring to walk.” Yu Jian said. He stayed overnight in Xiaogan City, and the next morning he set off again with his backpack. By noon on the 16th, he successfully arrived in Xiaochang County. On the 17th, Yu Jian entered Henan. A bowl of beef spicy soup and a beef dumpling — the temptation of food was hard to resist.
When asked about the difficulties encountered during the trek, Yu Jian told reporters, “Take yesterday for example. It was the fourth day of walking. When I got up in the morning, I found four big blisters on the soles of my feet. They hurt when touched, and I also caught a cold. After walking a few miles, I felt really bad and could only hitchhike on the national road.”
In fact, the challenges he faced were not just physical suffering, but also helplessness in finding accommodation, doubt and misunderstanding when seeking help. Of course, compared to these, perhaps the hardest part was how to pass the long and boring hours on the road. Despite the unpredictable difficulties ahead, Yu Jian told reporters he never thought of giving up.
Alone on the road, surrounded by love
From Wuhan to Zhumadian, he received a lot of help from kind-hearted people. This was a challenging experience, and for Yu Jian, it was also a journey of love.
“When I was in Xinyang, I went to a supermarket to buy water. The shop owner’s family was having a meal. The owner’s daughter saw the sign on my backpack that said ‘Walking back to Shandong, looking for a ride,’ and handed me a steamed bun. I was really moved at the time.” Such help wasn’t a one-time thing. “From Xinyang to Zhumadian, I got a ride. When I got out of the car at the destination, the driver, Brother Zhang, repeatedly reminded me to walk along the roadside, and if I didn’t have enough money, to tell him, and if I needed a ride, to call him.” Perhaps the warmest thing isn’t adding flowers to brocade, but offering charcoal in snowy weather. The 1,000-kilometer journey touched not only the hearts of those who knew him, but also strangers who cared about him.
Yu Jian told reporters that in the past few days, whenever he got to a place to stay, he would look at the route and plan his future itinerary. But last night, he was busy responding to messages from friends and those who were concerned about him online. “A senior classmate from Heze told me that if I had any difficulties, I should just call him directly. Being cared for by so many people made him feel that the world is truly warm.” Currently, Yu Jian is in Zhumadian. He got a ride with a kind-hearted lady, departed on the evening of the 19th, and will arrive in Zhoukou, Henan, on the 20th. Netizens praised it as youthful positive energy.
Yu Jian posted on Weibo that he would walk from Wuhan back to his hometown in Shandong. As of 17:00 on the 19th, the post had been shared over 400 times and commented on and reposted on numerous well-known websites and large forums. Regarding Yu Jian’s seemingly “crazy” move, some netizens believed it was a “last resort after failing to get a ticket home” or “irresponsible behavior disregarding personal safety and parental feelings.” However, more netizens expressed support, calling it “youthful positive energy.”
A netizen from Jingchu Net commented, “I guess after this journey home, no matter how big the difficulty in the future, you’ll just think of now and grit your teeth to get through it.” Another netizen said, “Good job, young man. You walked one-tenth of the Long March!”
Regarding his son’s actions, Yu Jian’s father said they initially did not agree. “But later we also felt that since he’s grown up, it’s good for him to walk more, see more of the world.”
Yu Jian said, “Walking home wasn’t because I couldn’t get a ticket. I checked on 12306 at the time, and there were still plenty of tickets available from Wuhan to Zibo. When I made the decision to walk home, I didn’t think too much about it. I just felt that while I’m young, I should train myself more. Otherwise, when I’m older, I might not have the determination or time to do something as crazy as hiking.”