Wang Kun hiking on the road
As a post-80s man about to be discharged from the military, in order to put a fitting end to his over ten years of service, Wang Kun decided to spend one month hiking 1,300 km from Liaoning Province back to his hometown in Suixian County, Shangqiu City. He also wanted to carefully think about where he should head next in life. On the first day, to reduce the weight he was carrying, he didn’t prepare any food, and only brought one military-style water bottle with him. His feet developed blisters... He wrote on his WeChat moments: “It hurts, but I’m happy — the road is right under my feet.”
Hiking home: pain with joy
On the morning of October 24, reporters contacted Wang Kun, who had already reached Tianjin. The 31-year-old had been walking for 16 days and his destination was Youjitun Township, Suixian County, Shangqiu City, his hometown.
Having requested leave to visit family, early in the morning on October 9, Wang Kun set off on foot from Shenyang to begin his journey home, hoping to bring his over ten years of military service to a satisfying conclusion. To lighten his load, he didn’t prepare any food, bringing only 1,000 ml of water in his military water bottle. Six hours later, the water ran out, yet the convenience store he had planned to resupply at did not appear within sight.
“On the first day, I chose the wrong route — it was all main roads, with no shops on either side, and the villages were quite far apart. To save time, I didn’t go into the villages,” Wang Kun told reporters.
Just as he was starting to feel discouraged, a person riding an electric bike happened to pass by. A watermelon fell off the bike, and the rider, seeing that it was smashed, left without picking it up. Hungry and thirsty, Wang Kun walked over, picked up half the watermelon, and ate it. With renewed energy, he continued walking for another two hours before encountering a private car owner who offered him some pears.
“The driver, an older man, said that he had seen me walking alone on the road in my military uniform and backpack back in Shenyang. Then, when he went to Liaozhong County to run errands, he saw me again and insisted on giving me a bag of pears. I was worried it would be too heavy, so I only took a few,” Wang Kun said.
With the lessons from the first day, on the second day Wang Kun prepared a small amount of food. Following the directions on his phone’s navigation app, he hiked along national and provincial highways. When hungry, he would eat at roadside markets or restaurants. When he ran out of water, he would find residents nearby to refill. Each night he stayed in a guesthouse before dark, covering about 50 km per day, and continuing on the next.
On October 11, Wang Kun’s feet developed blisters. He wrote on his WeChat moments: “These blisters are all from my own steps.” On the fourth day, he wrote again on WeChat: “It hurts, but I’m happy. Keep up with me, don’t fall behind. Look up and give me a smile. The road is right under my feet...” Whenever he reached a landmark, Wang Kun would take a photo with his phone as a memento and upload it to his WeChat moments.
“Sometimes my feet hurt, but after soaking them in hot water at night and getting a good sleep, they feel much better the next day. Now I can hardly feel the pain. I’ve gradually gotten used to it, since during military training we also did day-long or multi-day hikes,” Wang Kun said.
While walking, reflecting on the path ahead
During this time on the road, he kept thinking about how he should proceed with the next chapter of his life. “After this family visit leave ends and I return to the army, I’ll begin the discharge process. I have the option of being transferred to civilian work or simply discharged. If I choose a transfer, I could get a job in the county seat of Suixian. If I choose a discharge, I’ll receive a severance payment,” Wang Kun told reporters. Having reflected over these days, he has already formed a preliminary plan for the future. He wants to use the discharge pay to start a small business, though he’s still considering which industry and how to do it.
“I’m also hiking home to prove something to my father — that I can persevere, that I’m not someone who gives up halfway,” Wang Kun said.
When he heard that Wang Kun planned to hike home, his father was more displeased, even telling Wang Kun that even if he managed to complete the walk, it didn’t mean he could succeed at everything else in life.
“They say life begins at thirty. I’m already 31 and I have my own child. I just want to experience what it’s like to stick with something through to the end,” Wang Kun said.