Liang Zi is a true Beijinger, her clear and loud voice revealing her straightforward personality. Having just completed her ninth solo trip to Africa, she seems indifferent to it all. "Winning awards won't change my life. I'll keep doing what I always do. These journeys that seem mysterious to outsiders are actually nothing special."
As China's first female photographer to delve deep into African tribes for anthropological studies, Liang Zi has traversed numerous dangerous regions and encountered countless hardships. Poverty, refugees, disease, and racial discrimination—Africa’s mix of suffering and joy have been captured through her lens.
After serving for years on the borders of Tibet and Qinghai, fighting in battles and earning merits, she chose to leave her stable position just to pursue her dream of free movement. Liang Zi cast aside titles as a hero, her cadre status, and the comforts of city life. In 2000, she made her first trip to Africa. Since then, she has wandered alone, setting off time and again—over a decade has flown by. "It's a completely free state, unrestricted by money or fame. That’s the life I want," she says with a laugh. She claims she’s especially adaptable—"I can eat anything, sleep on the ground without fear." As she speaks, she rolls up her pant leg to show us the insect bites from her last journey.
Some say Liang Zi’s experiences, lifestyle, and character are all one of a kind. She replies, "Maybe." Perhaps it’s because of her childhood dream of becoming a train conductor and traveling the world, or her unending curiosity about foreign cultures, wild and untamed lands, and her yearning for adventure and freedom. Liang Zi is always full of energy. "Life is fragile, and it comes and goes the same way."
"Xu Xiake could both travel and leave behind a valuable legacy. People today should just do what they want to do—that’s good enough. At this China Contemporary Xu Xiake Awards Ceremony, I was both anxious and proud to see how positive everyone was. Blind traveler Cao Shengkang’s confident smile really put me at ease, and I could’ve talked with him forever."
On the afternoon of May 20, as we followed the "China Contemporary Xu Xiake" group retracing Xu Xiake’s path into the East Zhejiang Grand Canyon, we witnessed Liang Zi assisting Cao Shengkang step by step: "There are three steps here, take about two steps per step. Ahead, there are two steep slopes—stay to the left, your right side is the mountain..." Surprised by how much faster Cao Shengkang walked than most, we asked if he worried about unseen obstacles. He smiled and said, "I’m not afraid. I want to prove to everyone that blind people can travel too, but you’ll have to forgive a blind person for not being perfect."
Against a wall carved with patterns symbolizing "fortune," Cao Shengkang carefully touched the surface. When asked how he travels, his response—"Although I can’t see the world, I can let the world see me clearly"—set him apart as someone resolute and independent.
Walking along the stone-paved paths of Qiantong Ancient Town, Liang Zi described the shapes and colors of the buildings to Cao Shengkang. "I can picture them in my mind, feel the warmth of the sun and the breath of summer." As he walked, he used senses other than sight to perceive his surroundings. "Why is the ground so rough here? Is it paved with cobblestones?" His question was immediately confirmed by the guide. By a deep well, he insisted on lowering his white cane inside to find out "how deep this well is." In the courtyard, standing on the opera stage, he became curious about the dome above and, tiptoeing and stretching his cane, still couldn’t reach it. "It’s pretty high."
"People say, ‘You’re so inconvenienced yourself, why come out and be a burden?’" The scar on Cao Shengkang’s right arm is from a car accident. Falling and getting injured due to blindness, or being in traffic accidents, has become normal for him. But the stubborn man refuses to give up. "I want to prove to the world that blind people can travel, can go anywhere." His sunglasses can’t hide Cao Shengkang’s resolute smile. "Everyone leaves eventually. While alive, love life and chase your dreams."
"Those adventurous dreams—I’ll join you in the madness." Starting in 2004, "The Wandering Cat" Zhao Juyang traveled independently to Yunnan, Xinjiang, Tibet, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Australia, and more. In 2010, she stumbled upon an article about "couchsurfing" in a magazine, was immediately intrigued, and began traveling via budget airlines and homestays.
28 days, 7,500 yuan—she traveled through Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan; then 108 days, 50,000 yuan—took her across the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. As a pioneer of this emerging travel style, "Cat" was featured in over 70 media outlets. Couchsurfing originated and matured abroad, and few in China knew about it. "In China, I’d stay in youth hostels, but overseas it’s much easier. I pick hosts on the couchsurfing website—they’re very welcoming, and I find it convenient."
"The spirit of Xu Xiake, and that of ‘budget travel’ and backpackers, share a clear commonality—bravery. The courage to step out and explore the unknowns of this world during the journey." Along the way, meeting like-minded friends, sometimes even without knowing each other’s names, they’d travel together. "Everyone on the road yearns for freedom. Our travels are guided by free will and independent character."
Among the "Contemporary Xu Xiake" explorers, there’s "Huadiao," who always wears a hat and humorously calls himself a braggart—but his achievements aren’t just talk. Between 2004 and 2006, he summited mountains ten times, reaching the peak eight times. In 2007, he completed the world’s largest Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon trek unsupported in 40 days. In 2008, he successfully crossed the 800-li Taklamakan Desert unsupported along the Keriya River route—the first Chinese to do so.
"50 Places to Go Before You Die" ignited "Huadiao’s" journeying life. So far, he’s set foot on 46 of them, and wants to cover them all while he’s still able. "Huadiao" jokingly calls himself a "numb wild man," taking life’s ups and downs in stride. "Every time I go out, I don’t even know if I’ll make it back. Once you take life and death lightly, everyday troubles become insignificant." He says his attitude toward life is positive. "Don’t worry too much about others’ opinions. Many of life’s worries are self-inflicted."
These people who measure the world by foot—alongside Lin Yijie who trekked through the Sahara, veteran backpackers Zhang Guangzhu and Wang Zhongjin, Chen Zhou who climbed the Five Great Mountains using only his hands, and Xu Xiake enthusiast Xu Linzheng—are walking in the footsteps of Xu Xiake from 400 years ago, advancing along this path in pursuit of their dreams.