Li Senlin (Weibo) and his mother put up Spring Festival couplets together.
A journey of nearly 900 li that could have been covered with just one bus ticket was instead undertaken on foot by Li Senlin, a junior at Soochow University, and Yuan Hui from Changzhou — the two walked for eight or nine days. Along the way, they braved wind and rain, and even spent an entire night hungry and cold on National Highway 204. Reportedly, Yuan Hui, who is from Yancheng, Jiangsu, arrived home first on the afternoon of the 21st, while Li Senlin, eager to reunite with his family, also reached his hometown in Binhai, Jiangsu, by 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, where he shared a reunion dinner and ushered in the new year with his long-waiting mother.
Hiking home to fulfill a dream
Setting off from the north campus of Soochow University on the 14th, the two college students walked side by side for the next eight days, moving steadily toward their common goal. Along the way, the more careless Li Senlin took charge of updating their Weibo account and speaking to the media, while the more introverted Yuan Hui handled finances and asking for directions. “What more could you ask for in a friend? Do you have a brother like me? Just because I said I wanted to go, he came with me,” Li wrote on Weibo.
At around 2 p.m. on the 21st, Yuan Hui, who lives in Yancheng city proper, arrived at their destination first. After having lunch together at their friend’s home, Li Senlin bid farewell to his good brother of eight days and continued on alone toward his warm and sweet home.
Why did these two young men choose to walk all the way home over so many days? Couldn’t they get bus tickets? “It wasn’t really because train tickets were hard to come by during chunyun. So what was the reason? It was for my dream!” Li told reporters with a smile. Originally born in 1990, Li had harbored the idea of walking back to his hometown since starting university in Suzhou several years ago.
A marathon a day
Reporters contacted Li Senlin, who was making the trip alone. “We calculated that our hiking speed was about 7 kilometers per hour, and we basically met the goal of covering 100 li every day. In between, there were some detours due to issues with the phone’s navigation app, but altogether we must have walked around 900 li.”
Xiao Li told reporters that after nine days of walking, he went from initially experiencing sore calves, blisters on his soles, and overall exhaustion to bouncing back full of energy after just one night’s rest, happily continuing on his journey. “I’ve completely adapted to the state of walking 100 li a day. After all, I’ve stuck to a daily marathon for so many days now. Let me tell you what real power-walking looks like!”
Heading further north, Xiao Li felt that he actually grew more energized as he went along, because he was getting closer to home. “True freedom isn’t about wandering the world with nothing holding you down, but rather having a string tied to you no matter where you go — the other end of that string is home. It may take us very far away, but it will never let go!” This was a Weibo post by Li Senlin on the evening of the 21st as he made the journey on his own.
At noon on New Year’s Eve, an excited Li Senlin posted on Weibo: “Less than 30 kilometers to home now — I know the way even without navigation!” “The little bridge back home has a special feeling.” Eager to get home in time to share New Year’s Eve dinner with his long-awaited mother, Xiao Li quickened his pace and didn’t stop all afternoon.
Then, at around 3 p.m., when he was still over 20 li from home, Li Senlin spotted a familiar figure — his mother had driven a motorcycle out to meet him halfway. “She saw that I’d been walking for nine days and couldn’t bear for me to walk even more only to get home after dark. She came to pick me up halfway without telling me beforehand. I was truly moved,” he said. A deep respect for his mother welled up inside him, bringing tears to his eyes, and he immediately decided to ride the last leg of the journey home with her on the motorcycle.
Netizens follow closely every day
“Is it tough? Just think of the Red Army’s Long March of 25,000 li. Is it exhausting? Think of our revolutionary predecessors. Keep it up, OP!” “Congratulations on almost being home!” ... The reporter observed that a post Li had published before departure on Tianya titled “400 km — My Generation 90s’ Backpacking Home Carrying Dreams” became extremely popular over the past week. Numerous netizens followed the journey of the two college students closely, leaving comments daily to cheer them on and offer support.
Hard work paid off, and shortly before 5 p.m. on January 22, Li Senlin finally stepped through the door of his long-missed home. On the dining table, his mother had already prepared a tableful of his favorite dishes, waiting for her son’s return.