A SHANGHAI couple sold their house and company shares to embark on a global tour with their 2-year-old daughter. Shenzhen is the first stop on their journey, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Thursday.

    The father, Zhu Chunxie, made up his mind six months ago to sell their apartment and shares to go on a 5-year-long global journey with his daughter, identified as En.

    Zhu said he got support from all walks of life after he posted his plan online. Feng Jun, the chairman of Birdcar, a recreation vehicle leasing company based in Shenzhen, has provided Zhu with an RV at a very low rental price.

    Their recent arrival in Shenzhen has marked the beginning of the couple and their daughter’s journey. Zhu said he wanted to show his determination in carrying out this special kind of education tour by choosing Shenzhen, a special economic zone, as the first stop on their journey.

    Zhu added they will travel along the east coastline via Shantou, Xiamen, Shanghai, Weihai and Dalian, before they arrive in their hometown of Tumen in Jilin Province, to complete the first leg of the global travel plan.

    “My daughter will grow up before I realize it, and I know that if I don’t spend more time with her, I’ll miss out.” Zhu said, adding that he has spent a lot of time creating children’s programs when he worked in a cultural communication company in Shanghai, but failed to pay more attention to his own child.

    Zhu’s wife, Quan Zhaoyan, who used to work with Zhu in his company, also quit her job to go on the journey.

    “It may cost us some business opportunities, but it will create a precious memory and experience for our daughter,” Quan said, adding that with a limited budget, she has to be careful of their expenditure and make sure the whole journey can go on as smoothly as planned.

    They hope En will learn to be an independent individual during the journey, by learning things like washing dishes and doing laundry by herself.

    “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I feel happy to have my loved ones traveling by my side,” said Zhu. (Zhang Yang)