LIAO XING, a sophomore at Jincheng College of Sichuan University, spent a month walking nearly 2,000 kilometers from Chengdu to Shenzhen, crossing Sichuan Province, Chongqing Municipality, Guizhou Province, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province, news.ycwb.com reported Wednesday.

On Aug. 6, Liao took a picture in front of Longgang Universiade Center to memorialize his journey. On July 7, he set off from Chengdu carrying his school flag and a backpack filled with a power bank, a selfie stick, a book, three T-shirts and some essential medicines. His destination was his home in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province.

“I walked 100 kilometers on the first day from Chengdu to Jianyang,” Liao said. On a mountain road in Longquan, Chengdu, he climbed the hills in the scorching sun, which made him feel uncomfortable, so he made some adjustments to make reasonable use of his strength. He would begin walking a stretch at 6 a.m., walk another stretch in the afternoon and get supplies at the next stop.

Liao had planned his destinations down to the details of every day’s walk according to a route outlined in a memorandum on his phone. Although he chose as many flat provincial and county roads as possible, the mountainous regions in Southwest China were still a challenge. When the weather was very hot, he would rest in the shade and hit the road again in the afternoon.

There were a lot of people rooting for Liao and giving him support on the road. In one county in Ziyang, Sichuan Province, he met a team of cyclists who gave him the thumbs-up, which made him feel energetic.

In Guiyang, Guizhou Province, a senior schoolmate accompanied him for more than 10 kilometers. In July when he was in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, he walked through many remote places. One day, he could not get to the destination on time, and there was only one household nearby. So he talked about his experience with the owner of the house, who agreed to put him up for the night.

Liao also had to contend with some illnesses on his road trip. On the way to Zunyi from Suiyang, Guizhou Province, he had to take a taxi due to fatigue. Liao was scheduled to arrive in Shenzhen on Aug. 15, but he arrived 10 days earlier.

“I hitchhiked almost one-fourth of the distance thanks to some kindhearted people,” Liao said. For instance, a shop owner gave him a ride on his way to another town.

Liao was not without preparation before the trip. He had lived in Luzhou, Sichuan Province since he was little and was accustomed to the hilly roads. In addition, he had been planning his exercise regiment and route, and saving money since March. Liao also has a philosophy for hiking. “One has to walk and experience on his own,” he said.

(Zhang Yu)