Cheng Wei, a senior at Nanjing Normal University
A graduation trip, a term many college students, especially graduates, aspire to. From December 17 last year to February 4 this year, over a span of 48 days, Cheng Wei, a senior at Nanjing Normal University, set off from Nanjing and traveled across five provinces—Henan, Shanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, and Shaanxi—by hitchhiking. Of this entire journey, more than 3,000 kilometers were covered by Cheng Wei alone through hitchhiking.
A solo graduation trip that his parents didn’t know about in advance
“I’ve always liked reading books about backpackers, so I thought I’d go on an adventure after graduation.” Cheng Wei has always been a travel enthusiast, and this time he chose the central and western regions of China as his destination, driven by his interest in the natural landscapes and cultural heritage there. He initially traveled with a high school classmate, meeting up in Nanjing and spending 10 days exploring Henan and Shanxi. “But later, we went our separate ways due to differing interests.”
Cheng Wei did not inform his parents about the travel plan in advance. The total cost of his 48-day journey was less than 4,000 yuan, which he saved up gradually through a combination of the scholarship from school, earnings from part-time jobs, internship allowances, and money he had saved from his daily allowance. After returning home following his trip, “My mom was surprised when she heard about it and thought I was taking too big a risk. But my dad quite approved of what I did.”
Hitchhiking along the way and making friends—strangers united as fellow travelers
Cheng Wei prefers to be a free-spirited traveler. “I enjoy wandering through streets and alleys, observing the ordinary lives of local residents.” Therefore, he opted for the hitchhiking method of travel and met all kinds of friends along the way. To make hitchhiking easier, he even made his own “hitchhiking sign” himself.
“The longest hitchhiking experience I had was from Zhangye in Gansu to Lanzhou, which took about eight or nine hours,” Cheng Wei recalled. At that time, the temperature in Zhangye had dropped to minus ten-something degrees Celsius, and two brothers from Jilin, seeing Cheng Wei standing by the road with his hitchhiking sign in a seemingly helpless state, stopped their car and asked him where he was headed. On the way back from northern Shaanxi to Yan’an, the driver even took him to a friend’s wedding. “They were very warm and hospitable, and they even sat me at the table with the bride and groom,” the chance-met friends made him feel “very touched.”
A kind-hearted sister he met during the trip also left a deep impression on him to this day. Cheng Wei told a reporter that one day, while waiting for a ride at a gas station in Jiuquan, a passing sister chatted with him for a while. After learning about his situation, she asked about his route, but unfortunately, it wasn’t on her way. “At the time, she also reminded me that it’s really hard to get a ride at this time at a gas station.” Sure enough, after that sister left, he waited for forty minutes and didn’t get a single ride. “Later, I saw her actually come driving back!” Cheng Wei was deeply moved at the time. “She was really brave, and she drove me all the way until past ten at night.” This sister eventually took him to a section of the road where it was easier to hitch a ride.
Making dumplings with fellow travelers and cooking Hunan dishes himself
At noon on the Winter Solstice, Cheng Wei made dumplings with fellow travelers at the youth hostel. “Because southern-style dumplings look very different from northern ones, my southern-style dumplings were teased a bit,” an unyielding Cheng Wei said he would cook a real authentic Hunan dish for everyone in the evening. That evening, nine people ate together, and one Hong Kong traveler even went out to buy a bottle of red wine. Everyone’s enthusiasm infected the boss, who also brought out a bottle of baijiu to join them. “That night there was wine, meat, and good company, and everyone had a great time.”
After arriving in Yan’an, Cheng Wei took a bus straight home. Cheng Wei believes that university life should be a blend of theory and practice, reading and travel. This journey brought him not only wonderful memories but also a transformation from the inside out. “My friends all say I’ve become quieter than before,” Cheng Wei said. “Now, before doing anything, I give myself a buffer period.” He reflects on things mentally first, and when facing some difficulties, he can just let them be. For Cheng Wei, there is still much more to savor from the journey.