Along the way they received help from many people
From Zhengzhou to Xi'an, 594 kilometers, completed in 10 days
Who are they? So awesome?
Two Henan boys studying performance made it happen
Why? Well, because they made a boast
Two Henan boys studying performance made it happen
Why? Well, because they made a boast
Ten days, 594 kilometers. Wu Yakun and Guo Yanlei, students in the drama and film performance program at Henan Vocational College of Art, hiked from Zhengzhou to Xi'an.
Yesterday afternoon, Wu Yakun, who is 1.68 meters tall and weighs 53 kilograms, told reporters this story.
A casual joke led them to complete the journey
“I felt that since I’d already boasted, I had to make it impressive. That’s just how I am—if I say something, I’ll make it happen. I remember telling my brother I wanted to study performance. He didn’t believe me. Now I’ve been studying it for five years. If I say something, I have to follow through.” said Wu Yakun, the 23-year-old boy.
“Right after summer vacation started, a female classmate asked me if I had found a summer job. I joked that I wasn’t looking for one—I was going to be a vagabond. She asked ‘Where are you going?’ and I said Yunnan. She said that’s too far. So I spontaneously decided on Xi'an.”
“I felt walking alone would be too lonely, so I told my classmate Guo Yanlei, and he agreed right away. He called his family, and his father just said a few words like ‘Call if anything happens, take care of yourself,’ then we started planning the trip. At the time, our classmates laughed at us, saying we were being foolish—could we really make it to Xi’an? Absolutely impossible. I just wanted to show them that we had the perseverance.”
The first step they took was immediately tested by the heavens
At 7 a.m. on July 4th, under gloomy skies, they went out to buy hiking backpacks, rain tarps, disposable raincoats, sun protection and heatstroke medicine, as well as vitamin tablets, cold medicine, anti-inflammatory drugs, tents, power banks, and more. Just as they left the mall, it started pouring rain. Wu Yakun said, “This was the heavens testing us, to see if we could get through the first hurdle.”
They bought a map at the Zhengzhou West Bus Passenger Station and headed west along the Zhengshang Road.
Before setting off, they made a sign to wear on their bodies, which read things like “We’re hiking to Xi’an, hoping passersby can give us tips.”
Wu Yakun said they got lost when they reached Shangjie, wandering around mountain roads for about three hours before finding their way out—their feet developed blisters for the first time.
They walked around ten hours a day, completely exhausted. After passing Luoyang, the number of blisters on his feet increased from one to five. In Xin’an County, Guo Yanlei also sprained his foot. Torrential rain, mosquito bites, getting lost—they encountered every kind of difficulty. Guo Yanlei originally weighed 180 jin (90 kg), but came back 10 jin (5 kg) lighter.
Wu Yakun said that during the trip, there were moments of confusion and doubt, and even times when they wanted to give up, but they persevered. Sometimes on national highways, where there were many cars but few people, they would suddenly see signs of habitation—and felt like crying.
Along the way, they sang songs. At first, very excited, singing nonstop. As their energy declined, especially when thoughts of quitting crept in, they began singing motivational songs by Wang Feng and others, and Ren Xianqi’s “Brothers”—“If in this life, be brothers in this life; if not in this life, think of you in the next…” They also argued on the road, but afterward, their brotherly bond grew even stronger.
Kind-hearted people, hikers, and netizens all lent a hand
What Wu Yakun remembers most is a scene during a break at Songling Park in Gongyi. Many people told them what to watch out for outdoors. “One retired police officer moved me deeply. He taught us how to choose a place to pitch a tent, how to plan a route, and so on. He talked to us for an hour, then helped us find a spot to set up the tent. He also found us a place to shower. When we went to sleep at night, he gave us a stick to use for protection, or to lean on when we were tired.”
Wu Yakun said that the next morning at around 5 a.m., as they were preparing to leave and stepped out of the tent, they saw a hand-drawn map placed beside the tent—and tears just welled up.
They continued westward from Yima, and when they arrived at Guanyintang, a sudden downpour forced them to take shelter. While waiting out the rain, they met a man working in outdoor activities. The rain kept pouring heavily, so he gave them a ride to Lingbao, cutting three days from their planned itinerary.
After arriving in Lingbao, Wu Yakun posted on the Lingbao forum. Unexpectedly, netizens ran to the cultural square in the middle of the night to bring them roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
Wu Yakun said that the support and encouragement from kind-hearted people were a strong backing that kept them going.
After returning from Xi’an, he transformed from a homebody to a fitness enthusiast
On the afternoon of the 13th, they arrived in Xi’an, played for a few hours, and bought train tickets back to Zhengzhou that night.
After returning from Xi’an, Wu Yakun transformed from a homebody into a fitness enthusiast. “Now I just can’t sit still, always wanting to go out. The day after I got back from Xi’an, I rode my bike to Kaifeng.”
As for his future plans, Wu Yakun hasn’t thought too much about it. He intends to find a summer job first to earn some tuition money. He hopes to stick with his dream of filmmaking in the time to come, while focusing on excelling in his major and engaging more with society to build a stronger sense of belonging. Guo Yanlei hopes to join the military after graduation—to be a good man, a good youth, and a good soldier!
When asked what the biggest takeaway from the trip was, Wu Yakun said, “As long as you take action, even the hardest things can become simple.”