On the first day of their hike, Li Senlin reached Changshu.
On January 14, when Soochow University began its winter break, students were rushing to stations with large suitcases and backpacks, jostling for trains or long-distance buses. But during this Spring Festival travel season marked by high-speed train collisions, sold-out tickets, and surging crowds, Li Senlin, a junior majoring in metallurgy from the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering & School of Iron and Steel at Shagang Iron and Steel College, chose an unconventional and slow way to go home—by hiking.
He teamed up with Yuan Hui, a high school friend from Changzhou. The two set off from the university on the morning of the 14th and planned to walk through counties and cities including Changshu, Nantong, Rugao, Hai’an, and Dongtai. They aimed to cover the full 400 km (800 li) in eight days and arrive at their hometown before New Year’s Eve to put up spring couplets and enjoy a reunion dinner. When contacted by reporters before this article was published, they had already walked for 20 hours over two days, covering nearly 75 km, and expected to reach the Yangtze River by around 8 p.m. to take a ferry across.
Not because tickets were hard to buy, but to fulfill a dream—the young man sets off in the rain with his high school friend
At around 9 a.m. on the 14th, with winter rain falling continuously and the cold biting in Suzhou, Li Senlin and Yuan Hui set off from the north campus of Soochow University, backpacks on their backs and umbrellas in hand. Taking a long-distance bus from Suzhou to Yancheng would take only about four hours and cost a little over 100 yuan. So why did these two young men choose to walk home over eight days? Couldn’t they get bus tickets? “It’s not really about the difficulty of getting tickets during the travel rush. So what is it? It’s for my dream!” Li Senlin said with a smile.
It turns out that Li Senlin, born in 1990, has had the idea of walking back to his hometown since he started university in Suzhou. A few days ago, Yuan Hui, his high school friend who is attending university in Changzhou, approached him, and the two hit it off immediately. They started preparing right away and began researching their route home. “We checked the phone map and decided to follow this route—first to Changshu, then cross the Sutong Bridge to Nantong, and then head north all the way. This is basically the shortest path.” A map, a DSLR camera and tripod, a laptop, a mobile phone, a water bottle, ID documents, and a small amount of cash—that’s all the gear Li Senlin had.
“I think that during this Spring Festival travel season, with high-speed train collisions, sold-out tickets, and surging crowds, choosing to walk home is undoubtedly the most economical, environmentally friendly, and energy-saving option. I support you, lad!” Li Senlin’s roommate said with a laugh before they set off. Though his parents had some concerns about safety, they ultimately supported their son’s decision.
Live-tweeting the journey online every day, netizens rally behind the young man’s youthful boldness
To document this “long march,” Li Senlin announced his hiking plan on Weibo and forums a few days before setting off, saying he would live-tweet the entire journey with photos and text. “This year, I’m hiking home. It’s not to protest the difficulty of getting tickets during the travel rush, nor is it to save money. I just want to go—when the urge strikes, we go. Life often needs such impulsive moments…” That was a post Li Senlin made on Weibo on January 9.
On January 10, he posted on the Tianya forum under the title “400 kilometers—I, a post-90s, hike home carrying my dreams.” “Truth be told, I still don’t know what 400 li means for two legs. It feels like just swinging them back and forth non-stop. Anyway, there’s no road that can’t be conquered with feet!” That post quickly garnered over 1,000 clicks and more than 80 replies in just five days. Many netizens expressed admiration and best wishes for the two college students’ feat, though a few raised doubts: “Let’s throw some cold water first—a person who hasn’t trained absolutely can’t hike 400 li.”
Netizen “Duanmu Xingtian” replied, “Anyway, there’s no road that can’t be conquered with feet. Pay attention to the dreams of the post-90s.” Netizen “5319216” said, “Following you. I’d also like to walk a long distance, but I’m stuck at home!” Netizen “Brief Tourist” posted, “Covering long distances in a short time is tough, and you still have to make it home to put up spring couplets. That’s quite a challenge for the post-90s. Go for your dreams, and good luck on your journey!”
Days of hiking home
The first day: 100 li in the rain, shoes soaked. Only regret is the continuous cold, gloomy weather.
“Set off promptly on January 14, walk, take photos, write, and post updates along the way. Aim to get home before January 22 to put up spring couplets and set off fireworks.” That was Li Senlin’s hiking plan. But many netizens worried they wouldn’t make it home by New Year’s Eve. Netizen “White Little Feet” said, “The average speed for long-distance hiking is about 5 km/h. To cover 400 km, it takes 80 hours. If you set off on the 14th and want to make it home before the new year, you only have eight days—meaning you’d need to walk 10 hours a day. Factoring in time for meals, rest, photos, and posts, it’s still a bit tight.”
After the first day of hiking, Li Senlin said the journey had gone fairly smoothly, covering almost 100 li. His only regret was the continuous cold, rainy weather, which affected the photography plans he had envisioned. “It was really cold—I could feel my face swelling up. Both of our shoes were soaked. It was inconvenient to take photos while holding an umbrella, so we had to upload photos and posts to Weibo via mobile phone.” Shortly after leaving campus, Li Senlin also lost his glasses and ended up buying a poor-quality pair in a nearby town for 160 yuan—an amusing anecdote from the first day of hiking. “The hardest part is perseverance. I think the biggest test is mental strength, and I will definitely complete it!”
Prepared 100 questions to ask passersby
Li Senlin also designed an interesting segment for his hiking journey—preparing 100 questions to ask people he met along the way. He wrote these 100 questions on 100 sheets of A4 paper and would randomly ask one question to anyone he encountered. If they were willing to answer, they could write their response below the question. Is Sister Feng a successful person? Are web novel writers considered authors? Would you want there to be someone in the world exactly like you?...
Li Senlin said that during the first day of hiking, he asked questions to passersby three times, and only one person agreed to answer, while the other two refused. The first question asked was, “Would you want to be dug up for research after death?” Faced with this odd question, a middle-aged man laughed and answered affirmatively, even agreeing to have his photo taken.
The second person to agree to answer was a 67-year-old man from Sichuan whom they met along the way. He not only enthusiastically answered the question but also asked for the two students’ contact info before leaving, saying he would call them during their journey and wishing them a safe trip.
Update novel daily at internet cafes
He told reporters that the answers to all 100 questions and everything he experienced during the hike would serve as material for his online novella. In fact, in his spare time from his studies, he enjoys learning photography techniques and writing novels. He is now a contracted writer for an online fiction website, using the pen name “Qisen.” He has been writing a serialized novel with nearly 2,000 fans. The income from being a web novelist is enough to cover his daily living expenses.
“I’m writing tomorrow’s chapter in an internet cafe in a town called Xinzhuang in Changshu. I’ll schedule the chapter to go live at 12 p.m. tomorrow. I’ll keep hiking during the day and aim to cross the Yangtze River within a day!” That was a Weibo update by Li Senlin at 9 p.m. on the 14th.
Even during this intense hiking journey, he kept looking for internet cafes along the way to update his online novel in a timely manner.