“Another year of walking, another year of accumulation—covered in dust, I’ve arrived in Urumqi…” In the early hours of November 13, 21-year-old Chen Chaobo posted on Weibo.
After a year and a half, this young man from Hunan had hiked and hitchhiked over 20,900 kilometers across China, passing through more than 100 cities, and arrived in Urumqi on November 12, completing most of his “China tour.”
Traveling across China was his dream
On the morning of November 13, at Xinjiang Jinyuan Trade City, Chen Chaobo appeared before reporters with long hair. He wore travel clothes, his hair tied back, his face sun-tanned, and his eyes bright and spirited.
Chen Chaobo comes from a rural area in Yongzhou, Hunan. In middle and high school, he ranked top in geography and history in his grade, and traveling across China had always been his dream.
After graduating from high school, Chen Chaobo went to work in Shenzhen. After receiving his first month’s salary, he took a train to Kashgar, Xinjiang—the place he most wanted to visit. “I spent over a month there, then took a train to Lanzhou and traveled to Lhasa by hiking and hitchhiking.”
“Once on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, I almost lost my life,” Chen Chaobo said. It was the winter of 2010, snowing, with ice on the mountain roads. “I accidentally slipped down a valley and passed out. When I woke up, I found myself lying in a herder’s home.” He later learned he had been unconscious for two days and was rescued by a herder who spotted him while tending sheep. “The Yarlung Tsangpo River was right below the mountain—I realize now how dangerous it was.”
After staying with the herder for a few days, Chen Chaobo returned to his hometown in Hunan. But this special experience in Tibet gave him a new perspective on life: “This experience gave me a second chance at life and made me realize that life is unpredictable. I should treat every day as if it were my last.”
After the 2011 Spring Festival, Chen Chaobo worked in Dongguan for two months but didn’t earn much money—only 90 yuan remained. He decided to use those 90 yuan to continue his “China tour.”
Once stranded in the desert with no food or water
“I believe a city won’t be so heartless—my dream will definitely come true with everyone’s help,” Chen Chaobo said on May 13, 2011, as he set off on his nationwide hike with just 90 yuan.
The 90 yuan only lasted three days. “After that, I went hungry for three full days. I stopped in a small town in Jiangxi, did odd jobs, earned some money, and continued walking.”
Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Fujian, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Qinghai… As Chen Chaobo traveled, he did odd jobs whenever he ran out of money.
He carried a tent, water bottle, compressed biscuits, and other essentials, setting up camp wherever night fell. During his hike, he faced all kinds of challenges, especially when he ran out of supplies in the Qaidam Desert—an experience he’ll never forget.
That was about a month ago, when he entered the Qaidam Desert in northern Qinghai and reached an uninhabited area. “There was no signal, and I got lost along the way. I walked for five days in the desert, and my water and rations ran out,” Chen Chaobo said. “Just as I was giving up hope, I spotted a few small houses in the desert. Inside, there was water and rice.”
That night, Chen Chaobo cooked rice with the rice he found and finally exited the desert by the afternoon of the sixth day.
After traveling China, he plans to explore the world
A month ago, Chen Chaobo entered Xinjiang from Qinghai, crossed the Lop Nur uninhabited area, passed through cities like Ruoqiang, Karamay, and Shihezi, and arrived in Urumqi at 9 p.m. on November 12. He currently stays at a fellow villager’s home.
Chen Chaobo has his own Weibo and blog, which have garnered a huge following. On Tencent Weibo alone, he has over 60,000 followers, and netizens even call him the “Chinese traveler.”
The reporter saw on Chen Chaobo’s Weibo that on June 1 of last year, he posted his first Weibo about media coverage of his China tour. Since then, he has shared personal photos of his travels in Weifang, Shandong; Huhenuoer Lake in Inner Mongolia; the Qaidam Desert in Qinghai; and the Lop Nur uninhabited area in Xinjiang.
Chen Chaobo’s parents died early, and he was raised by his older siblings. His dream of traveling across China wasn’t supported by his siblings—some even mocked him, calling him “irresponsible,” but Chen Chaobo remained determined to pursue his dream.
From May 13 of last year to now, Chen Chaobo has hiked and hitchhiked over 20,900 kilometers, passing through more than 100 cities, completing most of his planned journey across China.
Chen Chaobo said he plans to work odd jobs in Urumqi for a month to save enough money before setting off again. After traveling across China, he will continue exploring the world.