A post - 80s woman quit her job from the company, took her bicycle and took a train alone from Xiangtan to Kunming, and then started cycling from Lijiang. She cycled 1,800 kilometers along the Yunnan - Tibet Highway to reach Tibet.
She crossed mountains and ridges all the way, encountered mudslides and landslides, her bicycle chain broke and tires burst, and she even faced the situation of being frozen to death. But she never gave up and finally cycled to Tibet with her belief and willpower.
This brave girl is named Zhang Huan. She is 25 years old this year, 1.6 meters tall, thin, and has a sweet smile. She lives on Shejian Village Street in Yuetang District.
On September 12, we walked into Zhang Huan's home to explore the story behind her cycling to Tibet.
A documentary prompted her to realize her dream
As soon as we walked into Zhang Huan's home, the first thing that caught our eyes was the exquisitely arranged postcard decorations in her room. Behind each beautiful scenery picture were stamps of different cities.
What impressed us deeply were the travel books on her desk, such as "Go on Your Trip", "I'll Die if I Don't Go", "The Best Life Trip", "If I Don't Do This, I'll Be Old" and so on.
Could it be these books that prompted her to cycle to Tibet?
Zhang Huan pursed her lips and said with a smile, "This is a small part of the reason. I've always admired Tibet, this mysterious holy land. The most direct reason is that I watched a documentary called "Kora" at the end of last year. The plots and pictures in the documentary attracted me and infected me, which made me resolutely decide to cycle to Tibet."
When she told her parents about this decision, her parents strongly opposed it. "You can go to Tibet, but why do you have to go by bike? It's so dangerous for a girl. You've only graduated for two years and finally found a stable job. Why do you quit your job to travel?"
Zhang Huan's friends were also surprised by her decision. "They thought I had a broken heart or encountered setbacks in my career. Actually, it's not like that." Zhang Huan said.
"I just want to fulfill a dream. While I'm young, I want to go out more, increase my experience and knowledge. Besides, although I've quit my job, I can come back and look for a job again. Just as it is written in the book, if I don't go out, I'll be old."
After making the decision, Zhang Huan carefully made a travel plan and prepared travel items.
At that time, Zhang Huan didn't know the dangers and difficulties ahead. She only had the experience of several short - distance cycling trips and could only be regarded as a "novice" in cycling. Going to Tibet was her first long - distance cycling trip, which was a huge and tempting challenge for her.
Met many cycling friends and kind people along the way
On May 15, Zhang Huan took her bicycle, backpack and more than 10,000 yuan of travel funds she had saved, came to Xiangtan Railway Station, took a train to Kunming, and started her "crazy" trip.
Zhang Huan stayed in Dali for nearly a month. The sunset of Cangshan Mountain, the quiet Erhai Lake and the rural life in the ancient town made her indulge in the scenery of Dali.
On June 12, she officially started her journey of cycling to Tibet along the Yunnan - Tibet Highway from Lijiang.
"On the first day of departure, I cycled for 12 hours. I was so tired at that time that I fell asleep as soon as I reached the camping place. On the second day, I had heatstroke. When I was crossing the mountain, I was so tired that I cried." Zhang Huan said.
On the way, she met many cycling friends who couldn't hold on and finally gave up cycling and chose to take a bus to Tibet. "But even when I was very tired at that time, I firmly told myself that no matter how tired and hard it was, I would push my bike to Tibet and never give up." Zhang Huan said.
Along the way, Zhang Huan met many cycling friends. They took care of each other. She also met many people who cheered her on. Some people gave her a thumbs - up to show their praise, and she also met kind people who gave her food and drinks.
On the fifth day of cycling, when Zhang Huan was crossing Baima Snow Mountain, she met a driver driving a car with a Shandong license plate. The driver brother said to her, "I'll never be able to cycle to Tibet like you in my life. Can I borrow your bike and ride for a while?" Then, Zhang Huan lent him the bike to ride for a while.
Once, when she was taking a rest on the way from Medog to Lhasa, an old Tibetan man was selling cold noodles and cold rice noodles. "I ordered a bowl. While listening to music, I also sang an English song. The Tibetan auntie working in the fields thought I was greeting them, so she asked me to go and have sweet tea and eat pancakes. I boldly went there and chatted with the aunts and ate the food they provided." Zhang Huan talked about the experiences on the way, "I felt very embarrassed at that time. I had no gifts to give them, so I took a photo with them and promised to send them the photos after I came back. They also left their addresses for me. Then I continued on my way."
Zhang Huan told us, "When running out of food and water on the way of cycling, I would stop self - driving cars on the roadside to ask for food. After knowing our situation, many people would be very enthusiastic and give me food and drinks for free. Such actions are something I'll never forget in my life. Because they chose to trust me, I had a particularly strong sense of happiness during the cycling trip."
Several dangerous encounters, almost frozen to death
During the cycling trip, once Zhang Huan caught a cold. Due to not replenishing water in time, her tonsils became inflamed. All the way, she coughed desperately. When she rode to the halfway up a mountain, she felt dizzy and lay down on the roadside to rest for a while. Unexpectedly, she slept for several hours after this rest.
"I was dizzy and felt as if my head was going to explode. Later, two passing cycling friends woke me up and asked if I needed help. Only then did I know that I had slept for a long time." Recalling this experience, Zhang Huan was still frightened. "If it weren't for the cycling friends waking me up, I might have been frozen to death or eaten by wild animals in the mountains."
The road from Bomi to Tongmai is known as the most dangerous road on the Sichuan - Tibet Highway. "I've heard about this place for a long time. It's said that some cycling friends have lost their lives here. That day, when I passed by, I suddenly encountered a mudslide. The road ahead had collapsed, and there were many potholes on the road surface. A little carelessness might make me fall off the cliff."
"The landslides that day covered a long stretch of road, with mudflows bursting out from time to time, and small rocks continuously falling down the mountain. 'I was carrying my bike on my shoulder, the road was covered in over ten centimeters of mud, I was completely filthy, my bike and backpack were soaked in mud and water, and I fell three times. It was really miserable — I couldn’t make it up the slopes, and didn’t dare go down them. I only managed to cover just over 10 kilometers in the whole morning,' said Zhang Huan."
"The scenery is on the way to Tibet."
"Faced with danger, Zhang Huan did not give up her cycling plan—in fact, it made her feel even more that this was an extraordinary journey. Along the way, whenever she had time, she would write cycling diaries, giving the collection the overall title 'Cycling the Yunnan-Tibet Highway & Everest Diaries.'"
"Once, she met a cycling team—they were all employees of the same company. 'They had all quit their jobs together to travel. They were very talkative, and whenever they came across beautiful scenery, they’d stop and stay for a while. Just like them, I love this kind of travel. You can’t experience such views by car or plane. I think the scenery is on the way to Tibet.'"
"From Kunming to Tibet, Zhang Huan enjoyed many stunning sights along the way—Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, Meili Snow Mountain, the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the 72 Hairpin Bends at Bangda, Yamdrok Lake, Nyingchi, and more."
"I updated my journey in real time on QQ, WeChat, and Weibo. Not only did I share the beautiful scenery with everyone, but I also let them know where I was so they wouldn’t worry," said Zhang Huan.
"It took me 26 days to cycle from Kunming to Tibet. When I finally arrived at the incredibly mysterious Tibet on my bike, I was so excited—I had realized my dream. That feeling of fulfillment is beyond words. I was truly happy!" Zhang Huan recalled the joy of reaching Tibet.
"After arriving in Tibet, Zhang Huan also cycled to Everest Base Camp and Shigatse, took a bus to Nepal, and traveled by train to Lanzhou, Wen County in Gansu, Jiuzhaigou, and Chengdu."
"On September 7, Zhang Huan arrived at Xiangtan Railway Station, marking the end of her four-month journey. Her good friends came to the station to welcome her triumphant return, affectionately calling her a 'tough girl.'"