Wang Bing won the Golden Rhino Award for Best Adventure Activity for his “rafting from the Tuotuo River to the Tongtian River at the source of the Yangtze.” He said many places are disappearing, and he wants to see as much of them as possible before they’re gone.
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Wang Bing, born in the 1970s and raised in Xinjiang, “has had a deep connection with the outdoors since childhood.” Currently living in Wuhan, he works at a power plant 80 kilometers away from the city and uses a bicycle and kayak as his main modes of transport. He has been involved in outdoor sports as a hobby for 13 years, trying activities such as mountaineering, skiing, cycling, creek descending, and diving. He won the Golden Rhino Award for Best Adventure Activity for his “rafting from the Tuotuo River to the Tongtian River at the source of the Yangtze.” In February 2012, he had just completed rafting through over 360 kilometers of rapids and dangerous shoals on the Jinsha River. Wang Bing plans to make 2012 his “gap year,” saying, “I want to find my future direction through traveling.”
He had already thought about the worst possible outcome before setting off
At the end of July 2011, seven older boys who refused to let their ideals wither with time arrived at the source of the Yangtze and began rafting from the Tuotuo River to the Tongtian River. The entire journey covered more than 850 kilometers and took 14 days, during which they faced all kinds of challenges.
The water of the Tuotuo River contains a lot of silt and must be filtered and boiled before drinking; the high altitude means it takes a long time to boil a pot of porridge; although late July is usually a calm season for the Tuotuo River, unexpected heavy rains can occur; each person paddled a single kayak and was their own captain, setting up camp alone each day; the river current is scattered in places, and some sections required dragging the boat. It wasn’t until they reached the Tongtian River that the water became deeper. Along the way, they saw the surrounding grasslands gradually turning into desert, and occasionally spotted animals such as Tibetan wild asses and wild yaks.
More than 20 years have passed since the rafting craze of the 1980s. “Our Yangtze rafting is different from theirs. Our rafting isn’t loaded with so many symbolic meanings. We act within our capabilities—it’s a grassroots rafting activity with an element of adventure, driven by the pursuit of inner freedom.” At the Golden Rhino Award ceremony, Wang Bing, his face weathered and rugged, simply said, “It’s great to be back alive.” In fact, he had already considered the worst-case scenario before setting off. “Even if something happens, dying in the embrace of nature leaves no regrets.”