A screenshot of Zhang Peng's itinerary plan for April 16.
Zhang Peng before departure.
Setting out from Haikou, the southernmost province-level city of China in Hainan, Zhang Peng plans to spend six months hiking solo across 6,000 kilometers, traversing nine provinces and two municipalities directly under the central government, and ultimately reaching Mohe, the northernmost city in Heilongjiang Province. Recently, Zhang Peng, a man born in the 1980s from Hainan, has embarked on his long "journey of enlightenment" by hiking across China.
There are no mountains higher than a person, and no roads farther than a pair of feet. Recently, 32-year-old Zhang Peng from Hainan, unwilling to settle for a comfortable life and eager to challenge himself, has set out on a solo trek across China from south to north.
At 2 p.m. on April 13, after bidding farewell to family and friends, Zhang Peng began his "journey of enlightenment" toward Mohe in Heilongjiang. It is reported that Zhang Peng’s first day of hiking across China started from Xiuying Port to Xuwen County — beginning with a 10-km run from PuXuan Wine to Xiuying Port, then taking a ferry to Zhanjiang Haian Port, followed by another 10-km run to Xuwen County. The second day covered 48 km from Xuwen to Longmen Town, which he completed in nine hours.
As of the evening of April 15, Zhang Peng had been on the road for three days. When contacted by reporters, he had accumulated 95 km and reached Leizhou. However, due to rough road conditions after leaving the island, Zhang Peng said he had developed several blisters on the soles of his feet. “Walking has already started to become painful, and greater challenges lie ahead!”
According to Zhang Peng, prior to this planned north-south trek across China, he had completed a 21-day island circumnavigation hike last August. “It was because of that previous experience that I came up with this plan,” Zhang Peng said. Since his island-hiking adventure last year, he has consistently trained his running endurance, so he feels well-prepared for this journey to Mohe in Heilongjiang.
When asked what inspired him to hike to Mohe, Zhang Peng, who lives a comfortable life with no financial worries, told reporters that his current lifestyle made him feel complacent. To overcome this complacency and improve his perseverance in pursuing goals and transform himself, “I decided to challenge myself.”
“There will be difficulties and challenges along the way, but once you step out and face them, you’ll find that your worries are unnecessary. As long as you keep pushing forward, there’s nowhere you can’t reach,” Zhang Peng said when asked about the challenges he might encounter.
“Tomorrow I plan to reach Zhanjiang,” Zhang Peng said in an interview. He aims to advance northward by about 40 km per day and complete the more than 6,000-km journey in six months.