People Who Have Never Endured Hardship Should Go to Tibet
Those who have never known hardship should go to Tibet
Huang Tianyi and Zhao Nan are the same age, both born in 1988. The two grew up in affluent families and had never experienced hardship from childhood to adulthood. When traveling, they were always accompanied by adults or part of a tour group, enjoying sightseeing with ease. However, after graduating from university, a sudden idea from the two surprised their parents, who had always doted on them.
They said they wanted to cycle to Tibet, starting from Chengdu. There is only one road leading into Tibet from Chengdu, with the highest altitude exceeding 5,000 meters. Once oxygen levels drop, it becomes nearly impossible to move, let alone cycle. If they encountered mudslides, heavy rain, or accidentally slipped off mountain paths or suspension bridges midway, it could be life-threatening.
Both families had only one precious son each—how could they bear to let them endure such hardship? But children grow up and make their own decisions, and the two were determined to go. In the end, the parents relented, but with one condition—if you insist on going, you must come up with a safe plan to reassure us.
The plan was finally approved. On July 12, the two set off from Nanjing, and on July 13, they switched bicycles in Chengdu and hit the road.
Victory Relies Not on the Body, but on Willpower
Making a decision takes courage. But when it comes to taking action, the various unforeseen difficulties that arise made these two Nanjing youths truly feel the pain and deeply understand what “perseverance” means.
“Perseverance means cycling uphill. Already on the slope, not only do you have to grit your teeth, pedal hard through the downpour, but you also have to stay alert to cliffs underfoot and falling rocks ahead…”
The climb that nearly broke them was an 85-kilometer stretch of continuous uphill. “Countless times I wanted to give up and push the bike to the top. But another voice said, persevere, persevere, keep pedaling. And you start to wonder, why can’t many things in everyday life be persevered through?” Finally reaching the summit, they looked back at the lowly path behind them, overwhelmed with indescribable pride. And so, the next act of perseverance gained even stronger motivation.
“There were several teammates who gathered in Chengdu. Some couldn’t take it and dropped out midway, others had bike breakdowns and couldn’t continue. In terms of physical fitness, Zhao Nan told reporters, “Zhao Nan and I were definitely not the best. But we persevered. What really got us to the end wasn’t our bodies—it was willpower.” As he summarized, his originally fair face had turned dark and lean, radiating determination.
They completed the journey on August 12 and flew back to Nanjing on the evening of August 14. Over the 30-plus days they were away, their parents endured great anxiety. On Weibo, Huang Tianyi thanked his parents and also apologized to his father: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have talked back to you so often.”
As Huang Tianyi described in an interview, this journey was not an impulsive whim. The peeling skin on their faces and the scars from insect bites on their legs all recorded the hardships they endured along the way.
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