Woman takes 80-year-old father to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The travel footprint of 93-year-old Zhou from Zhuji is enviable — over 16 years, his son took him to a new place every year.
Hangzhou’s Shen Yonglin, now 83, also has impressive travel “credentials”: his daughter Shen Fengxia, who will retire in three years, has taken him on two or three trips a year since 2004, visiting 23 places so far.
What they enjoy most when traveling
Strangers asking about his age
Shen Fengxia told us the story of her and her father.
Their first trip was in 2004, to Tianhuangping in Anji. “That year we got a car, so we drove there ourselves.”
Maybe a one- or two-hour trip doesn’t count as much of a journey. But that year, they also went farther: a single trip took them to Lanzhou and Dunhuang in Gansu, and to Xinjiang.
Shen Fengxia can’t remember whether it was her dad who suggested traveling with her, or if she proposed taking him. But she remembers that their travels began that year because that’s when her workplace introduced paid annual leave.
Shen Fengxia was an office clerk. Ten years ago, under the policy, she had 15 days of leave per year — usually taking just five days at a time, plus weekends before and after, which allowed for good trips, and that meant two or three outings a year.
Whenever she had leave, her dad could go with her on short notice, but every destination had to be somewhere he hadn’t been before.
But not every trip Shen Fengxia took over those 10 years included her dad.
“We didn’t take him abroad,” she said. There were two reasons: first, her dad was quite old, and there were visa issues; second, her language skills weren’t strong enough, and when traveling abroad she had to use travel agencies, which were reluctant to accept elderly travelers.
But when it comes to age, this is something Shen doesn’t mind at all — sometimes he even shows a bit of pride. His daughter says that when he meets strangers while traveling, what makes him happiest is when people ask his age. Each time, he proudly says: 81, 82, 83 — and the other person usually gives him a thumbs-up.
The father his daughter admires
Shen has a group of hiking friends. According to his daughter, he has climbed all the high and low mountains in Zhejiang and nearby areas.
At 83, Shen is in robust health — aside from slightly high blood pressure, he has no other health issues.
His good physique may be related to his military service. In 1949, the year Hangzhou was liberated, he joined the army. He once advanced into the southwestern region with his unit, going into the mountainous areas of Guizhou to suppress bandits. It’s said he once chased bandits while covering 100 li in a day. After being discharged, he worked at Hanggang Steel, and after retiring, he worked at a neighborhood committee for a while until officially retiring at age 70.
Now, as long as the weather is good, he takes the bus from Daguan to Banshan around 5 a.m. every day. He currently lives in Daguan but goes to Banshan to hike. His hiking friends are all ones he made during his Hanggang days. “The people there are familiar, and so is the terrain.”
By 6 a.m. or so, he’s usually already at the mountaintop.
Shen is also very determined. On their most recent trip to Huashan, for example, there were five peaks, and he insisted on reaching each one and taking a photo by the sign.
“My legs were sore to death, but he acted like nothing,” Shen Fengxia said, clearly impressed by her dad. She said her dad walks faster than her, climbs faster than her, takes stairs two at a time, and even tries to carry the backpack himself — even so, more often than not, it’s her dad waiting for her up ahead.
Having a healthy dad makes traveling much less stressful.
When Shen travels, all he needs to bring is his high blood pressure medication — otherwise, his luggage is no different from that of any young traveler. As for food, they follow just one principle: keep it light.
Dad wants to go to Tibet
Daughter planned for two years
Out of all their 10 years of travel, there was really only one trip that required worry and careful consideration: going to Tibet.
Tibet was Shen’s idea. He has high blood pressure. “How could I just take him there recklessly?” Shen Fengxia said. She secretly went once in 2003, but her dad found out later. “He was very upset that I didn’t take him.”
It had been said and forgotten, and for several years, Uncle Shen didn’t bring up Tibet again. But later, when the Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened, his thoughts stirred once more.
In 2011, he finally made it to Tibet—as he had wished—by train.
But this day was two years in the making. In 2009 and 2010, she took her father to Huanglong and Daocheng Yading to test his tolerance for high altitudes—during which they traversed several mountain passes over 4,000 meters along National Highway 318 and stayed at an altitude of over 3,700 meters in Daocheng. “Dad had no issues at all.”
There was also a small episode before that: when going to Huanglong, at the foot of the mountain, their daughter specifically bought a can of oxygen. In the end, her dad didn’t use it—she did.
Taking the train into Tibet has another advantage besides enjoying the scenery along the way—it’s a gradual ascent, allowing her father to slowly acclimate to the high altitude.
Shen Fengxia said that during that trip, they visited Lhasa, Namtso, and the Shannan area. At over 4,700 meters above sea level on the small hill by Namtso, her father managed just fine, and it was clear he was very happy.
Every time she travels with her dad, Shen Fengxia feels that it’s less about accompanying him and more about mutual companionship.
In her view, perhaps what she really needs to worry about is the day when the itinerary is all set, but her dad says he doesn’t want to go. Because by then, his body may have already sent out a warning.
She said that at that point, they might only be able to take self-driving trips, driving slowly and stopping wherever they feel like.
The topic of how to accompany our parents may also touch your heart. Why not share your story with your parents with us?