A. Returning to Neijiang Again
Whenever he’s hungry during his hikes, he remembers Sichuan’s garlic shoots with cured pork.
At 10 a.m. on August 24, the elderly Zheng Jianwei arrived at the Yanjiawan Post Office in Neijiang to have his travel journal stamped with the local postmark — a ritual he performs everywhere he goes.
"Just like Tang Sanzang, the postmark is my 'passport,' though I keep it mainly as a souvenir," the elderly man told reporters. Everywhere he goes, he visits local red tourism sites, antique markets, and bookstores to pay homage to martyrs’ relics and collect revolutionary artifacts and historical documents.
On June 9, he set off from Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province, passing through Hebei, Tianjin, Shaanxi, Gansu, and other provinces. He entered Sichuan on August 6 and plans to conclude this hiking journey in Zunyi.
"On January 1, 2003, I spent New Year's in Neijiang. 'Aside from the people of Neijiang still being as warm and hospitable as ever, the city has changed enormously over the past 10 years — it’s completely different from my memories.'"
Zheng Jianwei loves Sichuan cuisine, especially garlic shoots with cured pork. "Once, in Guangyuan, I had a dish of garlic shoots with cured pork that cost 20 yuan, and I ate five servings all by myself — everyone was shocked," the elderly man said. Every time he’s hiking and gets hungry, he thinks of Sichuan’s “garlic shoots with cured pork.”
B. Red-Themed Hiking
180,000 Kilometers in 13 Years Without Returning Home: A World Record
The legend of Zheng Jianwei begins with an American named Arthur Blessitt, who set a world record for long-distance hiking with a heavy load and once claimed he would come to China to break it. Perhaps it was this casual boast that ignited a dream buried deep in the heart of Zheng Jianwei — a former soldier who never backs down: to travel across China, visit red heritage sites, and break what he believes should be a Chinese-held record, given the vastness and charm of China’s territory.
After five years of preparation, in 1999, 45-year-old Zheng Jianwei embarked on his dream journey. He walked for 13 years and has so far covered 180,000 kilometers. In 2008, the Guinness World Records headquarters and the International Marching League jointly issued him a certification recognizing him as the “World’s Number One Long-Distance Hiker.”
"There is no road longer than a footstep. Every step I take now is breaking my own record," the elderly man revealed, adding that he plans to keep hiking until he’s 75 years old, aiming for a total of 300,000 kilometers.
C. Legendary Adventures
Surviving in the Desert: A Red Flag Saves His Life — Numerous Close Calls with Death
During his 13 years of hiking adventures, Zheng Jianwei has faced death countless times, yet has also been blessed by luck more than once.
In the autumn of 2000, after 14 days of struggle, Zheng Jianwei triumphed over death and successfully crossed the Taklamakan Desert. "It’s a sea of death. In the last two days, I ran out of food and water and had to drink my own urine," the elderly man recalled, still shaken by the memory. "When I finally got out, there was still half a bottle of urine left because I didn’t know where the end of the desert was, so I dared not drink it."
He has encountered wild animals and fallen off cliffs while hiking. "Once, I almost became a black bear’s meal; another time, I got lost in a tropical forest in Yunnan. After four days and nights of surviving on raw food, with no other options, I hung a five-starred red flag at the top of a tree — and surprisingly, it caught the attention of border guards. That red flag became my lifeline ‘lighthouse.’"
"Adventure, wandering, hiking... These are words that seem to belong only to the young, but I’ve managed to live them out even better," Zheng Jianwei said. Unknowingly, he has gone from his prime to having graying temples and a weathered face. Lhasa’s clear skies, the snow-capped Changbai Mountain, the majestic Taihang Mountains, and the rushing waters of Luding Bridge — all have transformed from destinations into faded photos.
At one o’clock in the morning on the 26th, just as he has done every summer for the past 13 years, Zheng Jianwei packed up his 20-kilogram backpack, left Neijiang, and set off once again.