Yesterday, Li Huang and his teammates posed for a spirited photo by the Xiang River. This “Journey of Wanderers” will add a bright touch to their youth. Photo by Chen Fei. With winter vacation here, how to go home for the New Year? While many students scramble to pack and squeeze onto trains or buses, Li Huang, a senior at Hunan University of Finance and Economics, and four friends made a rather “crazy” choice: they planned to walk 400 kilometers home over 10 days for the New Year holiday. Yesterday morning, at the entrance of Hunan University of Finance and Economics, Li Huang and his team—comprising four members from his school and also from Hunan University of Commerce—officially set off on their hiking journey home. Their route would take them through counties and cities including Xiangtan, Hengshan, Hengyang, Leiyang, and Yongxing, eventually reaching their hometown of Zixing County in Chenzhou. The team designed their own emblem and came up with a fitting name—“Journey of Wanderers.” A month of meticulous planning for the trip Li Huang, the initiator and organizer of this activity, revealed that he had actually thought about hiking 400 kilometers back to his hometown in Chenzhou since his freshman year, but conditions were never right at the time. This time, after gathering teammates via QQ and Weibo to form an action group, Li Huang and his team spent nearly a month making thorough preparations for the trip. They divided responsibilities: Li Huang researched maps and weather online to finalize the hiking route. Their planned itinerary was extremely detailed, specifying the towns and villages they would reach each day. Supplies needed along the way, emergency plans, video and text creative content for the entire journey, and promotional strategies were all carefully discussed by the whole team before being divided up and completed collaboratively. Long-distance hiking is not new to Li Huang. Last year, he signed up for the “Huxiang 100-Kilometer Endurance Walk,” covering 100 kilometers in two days from Shegang to Zhuzhou. But this time, the plan to walk from Changsha back to his hometown of Chenzhou for the New Year is the longest in both distance and duration. Most surprisingly, all four members of the group are petite post-90s girls. Aside from Liu Juan and Wu Youcheng, nicknamed “Yuzu,” who once walked 50 kilometers in a single day, the other two girls, Liu Rong and Guo Yuye, had no such experience at all. However, they all trusted their captain and weren’t too worried about the trip. The hiking initiative receives support from all sides Although classmates and teachers around them felt the activity was challenging and risky, they still found ways to cheer on the “Journey of Wanderers” team. Liu Zheng, deputy head of the Publicity Department at Hunan University of Finance and Economics, gave them official student certificates stamped by the school before their departure. A professor from the university helped secure sponsorship, providing free down jackets, compressed biscuits, and emergency medicine. A friend of Li Huang also bought them five reflective vests, outdoor raincoats, headlamps, knee pads, and insurance. Classmates around them also sent encouraging messages. Before setting off, everyone solemnly signed a “Voluntary Action Agreement.” Their parents, though worried, ultimately supported their children’s decision. Li Huang posted the hiking plan on Tieba and his Tencent blog, stating that he would share the process live with photos and text. “I’m really looking forward to this trip—I can hardly wait to get going,” said Liu Rong, a cute girl nicknamed “Doraemon.” “If we don’t go crazy now, we’ll get old” “Some things, if you don’t do them now, you might never do them!” Li Huang told reporters. It’s not that they can’t afford train tickets home for the New Year; they want to experience life, temper their willpower, foster independence, and add a bright touch to their youth. Li Huang and his teammates said they plan to complete the journey with minimal expenses, staying overnight at local farmhouses along the way and trading volunteer work for beds and meals. When staying with local families, they’ll sleep on sofas or lay out their carried moisture-proof mats on the floor. “We avoid sleeping in beds because we’re too dirty, and it’s inconvenient to trouble the hosts in winter.” If necessary, since the planned stops are all in towns that usually have small hotels or ATM booths, they can persuade staff to let them rest there. “We plan to post updates at least every two hours during the walk, and share anything interesting or urgent as it happens. We’ll also post a status update when we go to bed and when we wake up.” They will document the natural scenery and cultural experiences along the way with text and photos, and will also pay attention to left-behind children and elderly people in rural areas. “We’ll chat with them or help with housework,” and if they encounter those truly in need, the “Journey of Wanderers” team will immediately post on Weibo and WeChat to call for public care and assistance, bringing warmth to them in the cold winter. (Reporter Chen Fei)