Lei Diansheng:The Living Xu Xiake

Lei Diansheng (雷殿生)， a 49-year-old farmer from Heilongjiang Province， has been dubbed “the living Xu Xiake” for his success in undertaking one of the longest continuous hikes of the modern era. Over10 years， he covered a total distance of 81，000 kilometers across China， wore out 52 pairs of shoes， lost 19 toenails， endured 19 muggings， encountered wild animals 40 times (not to mention dozens of sandstorms， avalanches and mud slides)， took nearly 40，000 photographs， jotted down over a millions words and collected a total of nearly two tons of geological samples and materials on minority customs in China. A museum in the suburbs of Beijing exhibits the photos， diaries and materials collected over the course of his expedition， while Lei himself now runs an outdoor team-building company.

I love nature and have always had a strong desire to explore it. I spent 10 years preparing for my expedition， including studying China’s geography by reading lots of books， making money， doing business and building a healthy body through long-distance running and simple martial arts.

Both of my parents died in my teenage years， and I didn’t get married until I’d finished the whole trip. In this way， I felt I could entirely absorb myself in fulfilling my dream without being tied down by emotional attachments.

I started my hike on October 20， 1998， at Harbin National Road 102 and finished on November 8， 2008， after successfully crossing the Lop Nor Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Over a total of 3，673 days， I walked a total distance of more than 81，000 kilometers.

I set myself three goals for the trip. First， to develop an understanding of China’s ecology and use it as a basis to call for improved environmental protection. Second， to visit regions inhabited by China’s 55 minority groups and collect information on local customs. And finally， to explore nature， especially the wild forests， deserts and unknown territories such as Hoh Xil (a vast， remote and virtually unpopulated nature reserve in the northwestern part of the Tibetan plateau)， the Taklamakan Desert (a desert region fringed by Silk Road routes in southwestern Xinjiang) and Lop Nor.

Along the way， I met many rural residents who cared little about ecology. I stopped locals from killing wild animals and even destroyed the traps they would set. I bought birds from locals and then released them. I also took photos of lumber activities and polluted rivers and sent them to local departments of environmental protection. I also visited all the minority-inhabited regions and collected a wealth of material on their daily customs. I’m proud to be the first person in China to successfully cross Lop Nor. I spent 30 days walking over 1，100 kilometers out of the territory.(Editor’s note: Lop Nor is a fearsome desert expanse that claimed the lives of two other Chinese explorers， Peng Jiamu (1925-1980) and Yu Chunshun(1951-1996)， who attempted to cross it prior to Lei.)

In the summer of 1999， when I was hiking alone in the Luoxiao mountain range along the border of Hunan and Jiangxi， I tripped over tree branches in the forest and tumbled down a hill into the valley. I sat up clumsily only to find a python that must have weighed over 150 kilograms sticking out its chopstick-long lurid tongue at me an arm’s length away. I leaped up immediately， ignoring my pains， and ran desperately while throwing firecrackers and pesticide at the python to stop it from chasing me. It wasn’t until I’d run for several kilometers that I dared to turn around. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I realized I’d escaped!

Another life-threatening moment occurred on July 12， 2002， when I was crossing the largely unknown Ngari territory in western Tibet. One night， at an altitude of 4，700 meters， a pack of about 20 wolves gathered outside my tent. I could even see their noses poking through the tarp. I set a piece of my clothes alight and threw it to the wolves， but they still lingered. I burned one piece after another. In the end， I had no other choice but to spray the pack with a harsh， irritating pesticide， which finally drove them away. I dared not go to sleep but sat in my tent waiting for daybreak for several hours.

Starting from the first day of my trip， I decided not to cut my hair so that it could become a kind of living testament to the whole of my expedition. When I finished the trip， my hair was nearly one meter long. Admittedly， my long hair made me look sloppy and caused me a lot of trouble. I understood why some people I met reacted to me with something approaching disgust.

I grouped the people I met on my way into three types. The first couldn’t understand my motivation at all. They asked questions like，“Why did you sell your house and spend all of your savings on such an insane thing?” and， “What can you gain from it?” I spent a total of up to RMB500，000 on the trip. The second type were merely curious about my adventure. They would chat with me and see it as a funny thing. The third type completely understood my expedition and its motivations. They took it as a spiritual pursuit and offered both emotional and financial support.

There are many people I should feel grateful to. In some mountainous areas in Sichuan and Zhejiang， locals would offer to give me a lift， and after I declined (I didn’t want to cheat myself and was determined to measure the distance on foot)， they would go back home immediately to boil some eggs or fetch a couple of apples. In Xinjiang， I remember a driver who drove several hundred kilometers to catch up with me and bring me several pieces of clothing. These kind hearted people gave me the hope and endurance to confront critical life and death moments.

Now I have a more mature mindset toward hardships and full confidence in life. I always keep in mind the kindness bestowed on me， while the unfriendly people only spurred me to achieve my goal of hiking throughout China to prove that I was not the crazy guy they thought me to be， and that I was willing to risk my life to fulfill my dream. I am an ambitious person， but I also know myself well and can set a feasible goal. I am least afraid of enduring hardships.