Gao Xiaoding, a 26-year-old from Nan’an District in Chongqing, didn’t attend numerous job fairs or mass-send résumés online after graduating from university. Instead, starting in February 2011, he hit the road with a backpack, hitchhiking and walking across the country.
With just ¥1,000 to his name, he spent nearly two years traveling through most of China.
When a reporter met Gao Xiaoding on November 19 at a fast food restaurant in the pedestrian street, he had just arrived in Yinchuan from Xining. He is not tall, has dark skin, wears a woolen hat, and carries a large backpack, with a shy smile. The weather was quite cold, yet he was dressed lightly. When the reporter asked why, he laughed and said he had developed an “ironclad body” from all the traveling and was no longer afraid of the cold.
Hitchhiking, walking, going hungry, sleeping on couches — this is Gao Xiaoding’s daily life. “I’ve slept on roadsides and in parks. Only if I hadn’t showered for days would I stay at a hotel for one night. A few days ago, he hitchhiked from Xining to Yinchuan. The first night, he slept in someone else’s car; the second night, he squeezed onto a friend’s couch. Along the way, he made many friends, and many people heard his story.
“I’ve probably hitched hundreds of rides, and I’ve walked so far I’ve lost count,” Gao Xiaoding said. He explained that he didn’t have a full plan for his travels — he went wherever he felt like, entirely based on mood. Sometimes his route even depended on where the drivers of the cars giving him rides were headed. Gao Xiaoding told reporters that he often ran out of food and found himself in deserted areas. On those occasions, he curled up in his sleeping bag and endured the night, waiting until the next day to flag down a passing vehicle. He laughed and said everything that happened along the way was a test that taught him to appreciate life.
Gao Xiaoding said the greatest thing he gained along the journey was the trust of strangers. In October 2012, he arrived in Gansu and worked at a local hostel. As winter approached and the weather grew colder, he didn’t have many warm clothes. A thoughtful female guest noticed and bought him a ¥700 windbreaker online.
Another time, while resting at a fellow traveler’s home, he broke out in a rash all over. That traveler not only took him to see a doctor but also gave him several hundred yuan for travel expenses. “Even though we’d only met once, he treated me like family. I was deeply moved,” Gao Xiaoding said.
Along the way, Gao Xiaoding said he was happy every day, and the more he traveled, the more he understood what he truly wanted. Next, he plans to organize his travel stories and share the experience with more young people, helping them understand what kind of life suits them.
When parting, Gao Xiaoding told the reporter he really liked Yinchuan, this beautiful city. “If one day, a person or a place is worth holding onto, I think I’ll stop, and start my life anew.”