雷殿生携罗布泊物证登圆桌派 窦文涛称极限行旅凭高密度感知拉长寿命

雷殿生携罗布泊物证登圆桌派 窦文涛称极限行旅拉长主观寿命 机械重复的日常生活因记忆平乏而加速时间流逝，极境探索则通过打破理性防御的高密度感官冲击，在感知维度上实质延展了人类的主观寿命。 节目围绕“行旅如何重塑生命”展开深度探讨，从跨国漫游对认知与时间感知的拉长，聊到绿皮火车上的极端身体记忆。随后，话题由周轶君亲历切尔诺贝利核禁区的直觉冲动，引向对人类冒险心理与极限生存的哲学思辨。节目后半段，独步中国十年的探险家雷殿生携当年沉重的行囊登场，展示石心竹手杖、阿里无人区退狼绝笔信、罗布泊地质样本及盖满56个民族公章的见证长卷，详述了九死一生的荒野求生传奇。 旅行带来的高密度感官输入能够有效延展主观生命长度：重复单调的日常工作会压缩记忆密度使岁月飞逝，而陌生的旅途体验则在心理层面显著放缓时间流速。 (2:01) 脑科学与心理机制揭示冒险真相：探险者深入险境往往受潜意识直觉驱动，而人类理智通常只是事后编造合理化说辞以维持掌控幻觉的“解释器”。 (30:33) 十年徒步纪录展现极致生存样本：旅行家雷殿生历时十年、徒步行走超8.1万公里穿越罗布泊与56个民族聚居区，历经19次抢劫与52双鞋的损耗完成全国考察。 (38:35) 实物文献见证地理与时代变迁：探险者带回的珠峰三叶虫化石、罗布泊干涸螺蛳壳，以及盖满2008枚全国日戳的奥运旗帜，构成了个人丈量山河的实证档案。 (65:02)

《圆桌派》嘉宾围绕旅行对生命经验的重构展开探讨，指出日常生活的重复性会压缩记忆，而深入异域与极端境地不仅在感知层面拉长了主观寿命，更促使个体在直面危险或脱离常规社会角色时，触发本能冲动与精神层面的“自我消解”。 感知重构：打破机械日常与拉长主观寿命 (2:01) 嘉宾讨论指出，机械重复的日常工作容易抹平人的记忆，使多日体验在心理上缩略为单调的片刻；而在旅途中，面对新机场、陌生饮食与突发事件等高密度的新信息冲击，主观时间感知会被大幅拉长，数天的行程常让人产生跨越整季乃至一生的错觉。这种时间的伸缩揭示了人的寿命感很大程度上由感知密度决定，而非物理钟表的客观刻度。 作为异乡的“局外人”，旅行者无需承担当地缴税、就业与社区人情压力，得以在悬置社会规范的超脱状态中观察世界。然而，现代智能手机的通知推送与故乡新闻构成了持续的数字羁绊，使人在享受脱离感与抵抗日常焦虑之间反复拉扯。同时，早年极端的长途出行经历——如1980年代绿皮硬座车厢中身体悬空、被迫维持三十小时生理耐受的状态——也被嘉宾视作在物理挤压下被迫达成的“遗忘肉身”与自我放逐体验。 旅行模式的困境与“当地化”的傲慢 (12:28) 对谈剖析了旅行方式的演变与局限。跟团游往往将游客封闭在预设的“玻璃气泡”中，辗转于拿回扣的定点中餐厅，切断了与真实异域的互动；而依赖评分算法的自由行同样陷入均质化，将全球游客引向完全相同的英文聚集区。嘉宾指出，若为了标榜深度体验而执意探寻“仅限本地人”的场所，在威尼斯等高度旅游化的城市中，反而可能打破当地居民最后的避风港，演变成一种傲慢的冒犯。 文化底蕴与旅行节奏的落差同样明显。阿城曾提出循序渐进的欧洲考察论——先看德国工业文明，再赏英法百年都市，最后观览意大利古典与文艺复兴，避免审美反差削弱体验；但嘉宾坦言该构想脱离了普通工薪阶层的经济现实。对于绝大多数人而言，黄金周的出行更多演变为西湖断桥与华山栈道上寸步难行、身不由己的拥挤洪流。 非理性冲动：直面危险与向死而生的专注 (30:33) 从周轶君探访切尔诺贝利核禁区、美国67岁门罗·盖特伍德（Grandma Gatewood）只身徒步阿巴拉契亚小径，到极限运动员攀登珠峰或进行无保护徒手攀岩（Free Solo），对谈探讨了驱使人踏入险境的心理动因。窦文涛援引脑科学裂脑人实验提出，人类显意识层面的“理性”往往只是左脑在非理性冲动发生后编造的事后合理化借口，真正驱动个体走向危险的往往是水面之下不可解的潜意识。 以艾利克斯·霍诺德（Alex Honnold）的攀岩为例，极度危险并非盲目赌命，而是通过反复排演将恐惧边界不断外推的精密控制。嘉宾分析，在现代生活中注意力极易被琐碎焦虑撕裂，而身处生死一线的悬崖或严寒绝境时，绝对专注的要求会驱散全部杂念，促使人体验到与自然合一的宁静，这种向死而生的过程构成了对生命存在感最强烈的确认。 十年苦旅的物证：雷殿生8.1万公里的生命实证 (38:35) 徒步旅行家雷殿生展示了他历时十年（1998年10月至2008年）、行程8.1万公里的徒步实物与记录。这一征程穿越了罗布泊干涸湖盆等无人区，期间磨破52双鞋、历经19次抢劫并经历多次濒死考验。在2002年西藏阿里无人区遭群狼围困时，他在极寒暴雪中以手杖挑燃衣物防卫，在仅剩最后一身保暖衣的生死关头，写下了托付旅行记录的绝笔信。在极端生存状态下，他曾连续五天断粮，依靠捕食生苍蝇、蜥蜴与蛇等维系体能。 雷殿生沿途收集了逾两吨的地质与民俗标本，包括罗布泊的云母、钾盐结晶、野骆驼粪便与见证古湖干涸的螺蛳壳。他随身携带的文书记录了一代人的地理丈量：一张家乡派出所手写的出行介绍信、盖满中国56个民族集聚区官方印鉴的长卷，以及一面长宽均为2.08米、沿途加盖2008枚各级邮政日戳的民间奥运旗帜，构成了个人挑战生理极限与记录时代山河的实物档案。 无论是短期的异国漫游还是耗时十年的荒野徒步，旅行的终极价值不在于消费风景，而在于打破日常经验的麻木与规训。然而，在算法规划与过度旅游普及的当下，如何在追求真实体验与避免打扰当地生态、在探险冲动与生存自保之间取得平衡，仍是留给行者的恒久议题。

[0:00] Oh, the world can actually be like this. [0:00] Why does it look like a garden the whole way? [0:00] changed your spirit, I changed my body [2:01] a whole lifetime has passed [2:01] Oh no, it's getting dark already! I haven't even had time to see the museum yet [6:04] Comrades, Guangzhou station, no, Beijing station reached! [19:49] 窦文涛: 做男人太难了 [26:40] 我从哪里来，就回到哪里去。 [26:40] 窦文涛: 君子不立于危墙之下 [29:16] My intuition just kicked in; at that moment, you become irrational, driven by that impulse. [30:33] Emma Gatewood: Because I want to. [41:56] 雷殿生: I finally see some people! [21:05] 窦文涛: 相看两不厌，只有敬亭山 [56:16] 雷殿生: 苍蝇其实比老鼠好吃多了，不信你们尝尝。 [68:08] 雷殿生: 姐姐：我在阿里无人区被狼群包围。如果我发生意外，请找人整理我多年来寄回家的旅行记录。你的弟弟，殿生。2002年12月12日。

[0:00] I feel that traveling to many wonderful [0:02] places in the world can truly change a [0:04] person's life. [0:06] Have you, have you changed your life? [0:08] Of course. [0:09] How did it change? What caused the [0:11] change? [0:14] The reason I live the way I do now is [0:16] largely because I went to some places [0:18] in the world and saw things that [0:19] changed my perspective and my whole [0:21] life. [0:25] For example? [0:28] For instance, my first time in Europe, [0:30] looking down from the plane, my exact [0:32] thought at that moment was, "Oh, the [0:34] world can actually be like this." [0:37] Mm. [0:37] Ah. [0:39] It's just, you see vast stretches of [0:41] green land, the occasional village, a [0:43] church, and then I remember my friend [0:46] drove from Frankfurt to Hamburg for [0:48] half a day. [0:50] Mm. [0:50] Almost across most of Germany, the [0:52] whole way. I said something quite silly [0:54] at the time: "Why does it look like a [0:56] garden the whole way?" They just felt, [0:58] "You're here for the first time." Of [1:01] course, we all know this country had [1:03] its past, its post-war recovery, but [1:05] when you see it now, it's really hard [1:07] to imagine; until you've been there, [1:08] it's hard to conceive of a place where [1:10] you can drive on the highway for five [1:12] or six hours and see nothing but grass, [1:14] not farmland. With the occasional [1:16] village. [1:16] This certainly changes your life. You [1:18] ...... [1:19] see the world differently. That's my [1:20] biggest change. [1:21] How is that different from a book? [1:23] Right, my biggest change was my first [1:25] trip abroad. In 1980, when I got on the [1:28] plane, I was a boy. [1:30] When I got off the plane...... [1:32] I was a man. That was in the [1:34] Philippines, so my life changed more [1:36] than yours. Just one trip and I was [1:39] gone. [1:40] And I thought I had changed my life. [1:43] You changed your spirit, I changed my [1:45] body. [1:46] Changed gender? No, you changed*that*. [1:49] Changed my body, you changed your [1:51] spirit—it's different. [1:52] Was it really that short a time in the [1:53] Philippines that caused such a change? [1:55] It wasn't short; it was seven days, [1:57] seven days! [1:58] Anyway, it was an accident of life, an [2:00] accident. [2:01] I think what I changed is even more [2:03] bizarre than both of yours. [2:05] I changed time. [2:08] I’ve also come to this realization [2:10] recently: why does time pass so quickly [2:12] where we live our daily lives? But I [2:16] later discovered that when traveling, [2:18] time slows down significantly. For [2:23] instance, when we plan a trip, I [2:24] sometimes think, "Oh, the time is too [2:27] short," only having three days or just [2:29] a week. But I found that once I’m [2:33] actually there, it’s a strange [2:34] feeling, especially when you think [2:36] these three days or this week feel like [2:38] a whole lifetime has passed, because [2:40] you see... [2:40] At the very least, a season has passed. [2:43] Yeah, I feel like it's so slow. It's [2:45] really interesting. I've tried to [2:46] explain it to myself, and I feel like [2:48] it's a bit of a parallel universe. You [2:50] see, a person's sense of time is [2:52] determined by content. For example, if [2:55] you usually work a repetitive job every [2:58] day, then a week, or six days, feels no [3:00] different from a single day; it just [3:03] flashes by. But you [3:04] psychologically, it's the same. [3:06] Right. When you travel to a strange [3:08] place, from the moment you get off the [3:10] plane or train, everything is brand new [3:12] . Finding a place to stay, adjusting to [3:14] the environment, figuring out where to [3:15] eat and where to go—it's a new [3:17] experience, maybe even a romantic [3:19] encounter. Finally, you say goodbye and [3:21] head back with nostalgia. You see, the [3:23] content is much richer, you know? When [3:25] you visit several attractions in one [3:27] day, there's so much fresh content that [3:29] it feels like time flies. "Oh no, it's [3:32] getting dark already! I haven't even [3:34] had time to see the museum yet." But [3:37] just as you said, when a few days have [3:39] passed, you start to ask, "How long [3:40] have we been here?" Right. [3:42] It feels like a long time, like a whole [3:44] summer's worth of content has passed, [3:46] doesn't it? [3:46] Exactly, time slows down, and you’ve [3:48] detached from your original reference [3:50] point. [3:50] So your lifespan effectively lengthens. [3:53] Yes, yes, so that's exactly right. My [3:55] conclusion is that traveling actually [3:57] extends our lives. [3:59] Because after all, time is just your [4:01] subjective perception. [4:02] Right? [4:04] Because when we travel, we are in a [4:06] very special state. Think about it: we [4:09] are extracted from our daily lives. [4:12] Many of us say that when we travel, we [4:14] want to experience someone else's life, [4:16] but in reality, we can never truly [4:18] experience it. Why? Because you haven't [4:20] actually found a job there, paid local [4:23] rent, or paid taxes. You are an [4:25] outsider who suddenly dropped into that [4:27] place; you have no real connection to [4:29] it, you're just there to consume. You [4:32] are just a stranger with no ties to [4:34] local life, so of course you can't [4:36] experience their life. To put it nicely [4:38] , it's like an anthropologist observing [4:41] another society; to put it bluntly, [4:43] you're just a tourist. [4:44] You're just an outsider, so in that [4:46] situation, no one has any expectations [4:48] of you. You have no social demands, no [4:50] work requirements, and you're even [4:52] exempt from the various duties that [4:54] society normally expects of you. [4:56] The rules of the game are completely [4:58] different from the ones you are [4:59] familiar with. [5:00] Right? So that’s what makes you feel [5:01] like you’ve arrived in another world. [5:03] The only thing that's a bit of a [5:05] nuisance now is how you're always on [5:06] the move, but the moment you get online [5:08] , if you don't open it you feel uneasy, [5:10] and once you do, you're right back in [5:12] your original life's rhythm. [5:14] Not really, maybe that's just you. I [5:16] watch it while I'm traveling, too, but [5:18] I really feel that the sense of [5:19] distance isn't just about physical [5:21] miles. When I look at what's happening [5:23] back home, it feels so different from [5:25] when I'm actually there. It’s like [5:27] watching events on another planet; it [5:29] feels so remote, almost like looking at [5:31] news from Africa. I actually feel the [5:34] opposite. In Hong Kong, I might just [5:38] give a cynical laugh at the news, but [5:40] when I'm abroad, it feels strangely [5:42] warm because I'm out experiencing new [5:44] things and fresh perspectives. But [5:48] after a few days, I start to get a bit [5:50] homesick, losing that sense of warmth. [5:54] So I go online to check the news back [5:55] home, looking for that sense of [5:57] identity, that connection, and caring [5:59] about the people and things that matter [6:01] to me. I'm the opposite of you, so I [6:03] have it a bit better. [6:04] And this contrast, I don't think it's [6:06] just about individuals; I think there's [6:08] a clear difference between people from [6:10] Hong Kong and those from a mainland [6:11] background. [6:12] How so? [6:13] Because it has always been easy for [6:15] people in Hong Kong to travel. [6:17] Given their circumstances and [6:18] environment, going to the UK or the US [6:21] has never really been a big deal, right [6:23] ? So when Hong Kong people go abroad, [6:25] no one talks about how great it is [6:27] overseas. Look at novels written by [6:29] Hong Kong authors—once they go abroad [6:31] , they're always complaining as if [6:33] they've been wronged, acting as if they [6:35] can't find decent food or see their [6:37] favorite shows anywhere else. Whether [6:39] it's Taiwan or the mainland, for many [6:41] people, leaving and going abroad, at [6:43] least for a while, really is like [6:45] entering another world. [6:46] You have to realize, [6:47] it really is another world. [6:48] Just 30 years ago, at the beginning of [6:50] the Reform and Opening-up, my father [6:52] and his colleagues were sent abroad for [6:54] work as engineers. [6:55] One trip to Australia, [6:57] can you imagine what it was like? They [7:00] had to undergo six months of training [7:01] beforehand. My father and his peers had [7:04] to prepare for half a year just for a [7:06] business trip, learning English, [7:08] foreign etiquette, and even basics like [7:10] how to fly, since they'd never been on [7:12] a plane—everything was covered in [7:13] that half-year of training. [7:16] They could only exchange 50 US dollars [7:17] for the trip. [7:18] Right, you were only allowed to bring [7:20] 50 dollars out. [7:21] What era was that? The 80s, the early [7:24] 80s. I returned to the mainland for the [7:27] first time in 1984. I was studying in [7:29] Taiwan, so during summer break, I [7:31] returned to Hong Kong to join a student [7:33] group heading to the mainland, [7:35] specifically Beijing. But somehow, we [7:38] went to Guangzhou first, and then took [7:40] an overnight train to Beijing, which [7:42] was quite an eye-opener. One thing I [7:45] remember most is when we were asleep [7:47] and reached the station, everyone was [7:49] still sound asleep. Right, it was [7:51] around five or six in the morning. [7:54] The loudspeaker woke us up; it was the [7:56] first time I'd heard that kind of voice [7:58] , shouting "Comrades, Guangzhou station [8:00] , no, Beijing station reached!" It [8:04] startled us so much we jumped up; I [8:06] actually thought war had broken out. [8:09] Comrades! [8:12] The time has come to serve your country [8:14] . You see, every place has its own [8:17] local customs. Once, I found the tour [8:20] guide quite funny. I went to Mexico to [8:25] see the Mayan culture, and you know, [8:27] the Mexican tour guide was so [8:29] passionate. Even half an hour before we [8:34] arrived, he started making all these [8:36] sound effects, you know? I couldn't [8:43] understand what he was saying, but I [8:44] guessed he was talking about the [8:46] mysterious pyramids or that we were [8:48] almost there. But honestly, it was [8:54] boring, and everyone on the bus was [8:56] asleep. [8:59] You should listen to Spanish and [9:01] Mexican soccer commentators; when a [9:03] goal is scored, they go on for three [9:04] full minutes. [9:06] The climax can last for three minutes. [9:08] They can talk about one goal for three [9:10] minutes straight, just non-stop [9:11] shouting for three minutes. [9:13] That's right, I've seen it. You know, [9:16] when traveling, besides not picking up [9:18] stones, there are other things to keep [9:20] in mind. I’d say don't mimic the [9:23] locals too casually sometimes. [9:26] But if you happen to be there during [9:28] carnival, any stranger, man or woman, [9:30] on the street that day can be embraced [9:32] and kissed, so the streets are full of [9:34] strangers. They were like that; at [9:37] first, they kept picking on our female [9:39] colleagues. I mean "picking on"—they [9:41] were doing that to our female [9:43] colleagues. Later, I realized the [9:45] Chinese people shouldn't be at a [9:47] disadvantage, so I'd grab the big guys [9:49] and kiss them too; it was quite funny. [9:52] And their local customs, you really [9:54] can't say they aren't different—they [9:56] even have beauty pageants there. Hey, [9:58] we even filmed a program there, and I [10:00] co-hosted it with the beauty queen. [10:03] They consider being plump beautiful [10:05] there, and this beauty queen was also [10:07] quite hefty, but she was beautiful, [10:09] really beautiful, stunningly beautiful. [10:12] But, what to do about the language [10:14] barrier? And at that time, our dean, [10:17] the dean of the former Beijing [10:18] Broadcasting Institute, who later... [10:22] He wasn't some kind of wizard, but he [10:23] came up with a trick. He said, since [10:26] you two don't speak the same language, [10:28] how will the hosts know when the other [10:30] has finished speaking? He was inspired [10:33] by the scenery during the carnival that [10:35] day, and he said, "I've got it.""When [10:38] you finish speaking, you kiss her; when [10:40] she finishes, she kisses you." That way [10:43] , the two of you will have a rhythm. So [10:45] , I ended up kissing that beauty queen [10:47] over a hundred times. I’d finish a [10:50] sentence, she’d kiss me, and the [10:51] problem was she would break one [10:53] sentence into three parts, it was like [10:54] that back then. [10:55] No, that was when I realized Mexican [10:58] men are very jealous. Just like Italian [11:00] men, her boyfriend was watching from [11:03] below. You know, her boyfriend was [11:05] watching while we were kissing like [11:07] that. At first, her boyfriend was [11:09] cheering down there, but after I’d [11:11] kissed her dozens of times, his [11:13] expression changed, and after a while, [11:15] he just turned and walked away. I felt, [11:18] I felt, did he go to get something? [11:21] You were clear-headed enough to keep [11:22] track of the count after kissing 100 [11:24] times? [11:25] Of course, I think it's especially [11:27] important to pay attention. [11:29] Especially, I was afraid he would rush [11:31] up here. Who knows how these people [11:34] react? I mean, why couldn't it be like [11:37] that? Once in Italy, I was taking a [11:40] taxi with a friend. [11:42] This Italian driver, for example, I [11:44] felt a bit unconvinced. I gave him [11:48] money, and him not giving me change is [11:50] one thing, but he played dumb, refusing [11:52] to give back change for large bills, [11:54] taking advantage of us not knowing the [11:56] language. Later, we almost got into a [12:00] fight because I couldn't hold it back [12:02] either, and I was studying Italian, so [12:04] it was like, oh. [12:07] Added some sign language. [12:08] As a result, the driver opened the door [12:10] and got out to fight me, you know? [12:12] And then? [12:14] So I learned that lesson, and after [12:15] that, I kept the door locked so he [12:17] couldn't get in. That’s why I say, [12:20] when traveling, try to avoid such [12:22] situations. Because as you said, [12:24] traveling can allow you to get [12:26] relatively closer to the local life. [12:29] When traveling in a group, you're [12:30] really inside a glass bubble where [12:32] everything is pre-arranged. You don't [12:34] even get to choose your own hotel. It [12:35] can be miserable, like being dragged to [12:37] Chinese restaurants by a tour group, [12:39] right? They all have kickback deals [12:40] with those Chinese restaurants. You [12:42] travel to a foreign country, eat [12:44] Chinese food from start to finish—why [12:45] bother? Don't you think? [12:47] But the problem is, even with [12:48] independent travel nowadays. It might [12:50] not be any different; independent [12:52] travel, that is. Because when you're [12:54] looking for hotels or anything else, [12:56] you often look online, check websites, [12:58] or go to platforms like TripAdvisor. [13:00] It’s all based on global traveler [13:02] rankings, which leads to crowds and [13:04] everyone flocking to the same spots. [13:07] When you get to those places, you [13:09] realize the restaurants are filled with [13:11] people from all over the world, all [13:13] speaking English, because every [13:14] traveler is looking at the same [13:16] information. Sometimes I think, there [13:18] was a period where I felt this wasn't [13:20] right, and I wanted to find places [13:22] where the locals truly go. Sometimes we [13:25] seek to avoid tourist traps and go [13:27] where the locals go, but later I [13:29] realized this idea is actually quite [13:31] arrogant. What do I mean by that? For [13:34] instance, I've been to some countries [13:36] and wanted to find a way to get someone [13:38] to take me to the restaurants that only [13:40] locals know about. As soon as I walked [13:43] in, I felt something wasn't quite right [13:45] . Especially in tourist cities like [13:47] Venice—Venice is like a Disneyland [13:50] built for tourists, right? Yet even in [13:53] a place like that, there are still one [13:55] or two spots left that are truly for [13:57] locals. The moment you step inside, you [13:59] feel it—the awkwardness. Everyone is [14:01] staring at you. [14:02] And they aren't friendly. Why do they [14:05] feel that way? It's like, "We locals [14:07] are out there serving you, we've given [14:10] up our whole city to you, and now [14:11] you’re even invading the last [14:13] breathing space we have left for [14:15] ourselves." [14:17] It’s a bit like that. So sometimes I [14:18] feel that if I try too hard to blend in [14:20] with locals, I might be being offensive [14:22] . [14:22] But don't be too sensitive. You're [14:24] traveling, and it's rare to be in a [14:26] place like that. In Japan, for example, [14:28] the simplest thing is to go to a [14:29] restaurant where there are no pictures [14:31] on the menu. The dishes are just listed [14:34] in Japanese or spoken aloud, and you [14:36] ask them what they are. Even if they [14:40] don't welcome you, they won't refuse [14:42] your business; they’ll still serve [14:44] you. The comfortable restaurants with [14:47] pictures on the menu won't let you [14:49] taste the local specialties. And [14:51] there's one more thing, I think. [14:53] If you're going to Europe, and I don't [14:55] care if this is politically incorrect, [14:57] I'll say it anyway: regardless of how [14:59] the world develops, if you want to [15:00] travel to Europe, you should visit [15:02] other places first to build up your [15:04] experience. But you can't just go to [15:06] Europe willy-nilly. A-Cheng once said [15:08] something quite good, and I’ll quote [15:10] him. He said, don't go to countries [15:14] like Italy or Germany first to see [15:16] industrial civilization and the [15:17] Romantic Road. Then, on your second [15:21] trip, go to Paris or the UK. Oh, seeing [15:24] 200-year-old buildings is fun, then on [15:26] your third trip, go to Italy. [15:29] He said that if you do it in reverse— [15:31] if you go to Italy first—then Paris [15:33] won't be interesting anymore. And going [15:34] to Germany after that will be even less [15:36] interesting. [15:37] This isn't just politically incorrect, [15:39] it's economically incorrect. You have [15:42] to think about the vast working masses. [15:45] I just feel that... [15:46] For many people, even now... [15:48] Visiting eight or nine countries... [15:50] Just traveling abroad... [15:51] It’s a rare and difficult thing for [15:53] them to travel abroad. [15:54] So there's no way around it; they have [15:55] to consider their own finances. [15:58] Sometimes I really feel that during the [16:00] Golden Week holidays, for tourists who [16:02] don't have the financial means to [16:04] travel abroad, have you ever been to [16:06] domestic scenic spots during the [16:08] National Day holiday, like the West [16:10] Lake? [16:12] Hmm. [16:14] It’s truly an ocean of people. It’s [16:16] not a lake, it’s a sea of humanity. [16:18] It’s not called West Lake, it’s [16:20] called "Sea of People"—it’s really [16:22] shoulder-to-shoulder. [16:24] You’ve seen photos of the Broken [16:25] Bridge, right? [16:26] It looks just like a tunnel, packed [16:28] with people. Everyone is marching, [16:30] walking—it’s truly [16:31] shoulder-to-shoulder, even for those [16:33] stuck in the middle. Isn't it like that [16:35] everywhere during the National Day [16:36] holiday? Mount Hua is even worse than [16:40] Mong Kok—Hong Kong's Mong Kok is [16:42] crowded, but I often recommend to [16:44] friends, if you've already done the [16:45] Germany route, you really must go to [16:47] Africa to see the animals. [16:52] Which place did you go to? Kenya or... [16:54] Kenya. Of course, there's the great [16:57] migration. Even if it wasn't that, [17:01] I’ve never dreamt of the places [17:02] I’ve been to, only the African [17:04] savannah. They wake you up at 4 or 5 [17:08] a.m. in those five-star tents. [17:12] They bring you breakfast coffee, and [17:14] after you drink it, you get in a jeep [17:15] and head out while it's still pitch [17:17] black. [17:19] It's completely dark, and as you drive [17:21] along—they've timed it just right— [17:23] you keep going, and suddenly you see [17:25] the sun rising slowly right in front of [17:27] you. [17:30] And once it rises and everything lights [17:32] up, you realize that while you thought [17:34] you were surrounded by darkness and [17:35] emptiness, there were actually giraffes [17:37] , elephants, and all sorts of animals [17:39] right there. [17:43] Yes, because it feels like we've been [17:45] talking about the "unity of man and [17:47] nature" for centuries, and then in that [17:48] moment, you realize you're a person, [17:50] but you're all there together with the [17:52] animals. [17:54] But was it planned, right? The whole [17:57] area is man-made. No, no, no. [18:00] When I went to South Africa, the [18:02] planned parts were very, very... [18:04] South Africa is different; there are a [18:05] few places there, they... [18:07] That kind of safari, the animals you go [18:09] to see are all raised by them, just [18:10] like that. [18:12] He said he got that same feeling in [18:14] Kenya. [18:15] Look at those national forest parks in [18:17] Kenya, you go to see the animals, [18:19] people are in the cars, the animals are [18:21] running outside. First of all, seeing [18:23] those Maasai people, you realize why [18:25] Kenya always wins gold in marathons. [18:28] You know, it's flat land, flat land, so [18:30] the people you see are all thin and [18:31] tall. They often do a kind of exercise, [18:33] I saw them jumping on the spot like [18:35] this. [18:35] Jumping like that, so they are all thin [18:37] and tall. And they love to take [18:39] pictures with you, five dollars a photo [18:41] , five dollars a photo, that's how it [18:42] is. [18:43] Anyway, I won't talk about the people, [18:45] I'll talk about the animals. I really [18:48] had the same feeling, you know, we say [18:50] that traveling sometimes brings [18:52] spiritual experiences. It really is [18:55] that "unity of man and nature" that the [18:57] Chinese talk about, and I saw it, [18:59] because when there was no one around, [19:01] oh, you can't imagine the giraffe! [19:05] When it appears in front of you, it's [19:07] so huge, much bigger than what you see [19:10] on TV. And do you know why the Chinese [19:13] used to call the giraffe a mythical [19:15] creature? Oh, once you get close, [19:18] you'll know. When it runs, its upper [19:20] body stays perfectly still, really like [19:23] a gentleman, very dignified, that's [19:25] just how it is. [19:27] That's why it seems to float. [19:30] Then, I looked at the antelopes, and [19:32] suddenly I realized where a lot of the [19:34] roots of the conflict between men and [19:36] women come from. You see one male [19:38] standing there watching several females [19:40] , they are all his, right? Then, a [19:44] hundred meters away, there's another [19:45] male challenging him, and the female [19:47] takes a few steps toward him, and this [19:49] male lunges over to chase her back. [19:54] Just as he gets her back, the one on [19:56] the left, that second or third one, [19:58] anyway, it's polygamy, probably on the [20:00] left. [20:01] The "mistress" runs away again. [20:03] And again with that male over there, [20:04] the female went over there and he was [20:06] just, oh, do you know how many hours he [20:08] spent? [20:08] How hard it is to be a man. [20:12] You can see that male, he ran to circle [20:14] her back, and I suddenly felt like [20:15] crying at that moment. [20:18] Wentao suddenly realized his destiny. [20:21] No. [20:21] Didn't realize anything. [20:22] My whole life is like this. [20:24] Men, oh. No, Wentao must have been [20:27] thinking about finding a female sheep [20:29] to come over, that's his destiny. [20:32] Can I, can I have a higher perspective? [20:34] It’s not just that, I suddenly [20:35] understood the secret between men and [20:37] women. I, I mainly gained that feeling, [20:40] suddenly, that mating dance, the [20:42] strange feeling I got is something I [20:45] can never encounter again. It’s that [20:48] I felt my body had vanished, it was [20:50] gone. It’s so strange, I felt I [20:53] didn't exist, as if I was hovering and [20:55] watching these, these two mating. Right [20:58] , that kind of being one with nature. [21:00] His destiny was realized after he came [21:02] back, he doesn't care about similar [21:04] things anymore. [21:05] Right, I also had an experience like [21:06] that once. [21:07] We understand. [21:09] A similar experience, but it occurred [21:11] in a completely different setting. That [21:14] was in 1989, my first time taking a [21:17] train to Beijing in '89. Back then, we [21:21] were too poor, just students buying [21:23] cheap tickets. Frankfurt, was that your [21:26] first time? No, I’d been abroad, it [21:29] was just my first time back to Beijing, [21:32] so we bought hard-seat tickets. [21:34] Hmm. [21:35] And then we regretted it. We didn't [21:37] leave from Hong Kong, we left from [21:39] Guangzhou. We were just learning the [21:41] ropes of taking trains in the mainland [21:43] back then, because that era was [21:44] different from now; having a ticket [21:46] didn't mean you could get on, and a [21:48] reserved seat didn't mean it was yours, [21:50] usually you just had to fight for a [21:51] seat after getting on. Just imagine, [21:53] the seats were all packed, we had no [21:55] place to sit, and at first you'd still [21:58] argue that "this is my seat," but later [22:00] you learned not to bother. Right, [22:03] having a seat doesn't mean there's [22:05] really a seat, well, it wasn't that [22:07] extreme, but with the whole train like [22:09] that, who are you going to argue with? [22:12] Over those 30-plus hours, I learned a [22:14] lot; for instance, people in the middle [22:16] were actually quite kind, I tell you, [22:18] sometimes if you stood for too long, [22:20] some people sitting for a long time [22:22] would actually get up to let you take a [22:25] turn. But the real reason was actually [22:27] because they needed to go to the [22:28] restroom. Someone was just holding his [22:30] spot while he went to the restroom. [22:32] Right, but even if he went, it's not [22:34] easy, because the restroom is full of [22:37] people too. The biggest lesson I [22:39] learned from that trip was how to [22:41] forget my own existence. Why? Because [22:43] after being packed in for so long—I [22:45] think it might have been a bit better [22:46] by the time we hit Wuhan. After being [22:48] squeezed in for a dozen hours, just [22:50] standing there, some people would, you [22:53] know, blow their noses or spit. You [22:55] couldn't even pull your arms out, so it [22:56] would just land right on you. Hmm. [22:58] I'm sure they didn't mean to, but it [23:00] still ended up on you. So, for those [23:03] several hours, what did you even do? I [23:07] learned to forget that this body was [23:09] mine. It’s like… [23:09] In art, they call it self-reverence; in [23:12] my own academic terms, I call it [23:13] self-oblivion. [23:14] But, you know... [23:16] You know the Chinese people’s [23:17] bladders back in the 80s? In the 80s, [23:21] when we took those old green trains, [23:23] going where? Traveling. [23:25] I took those too. Xiao Hui, do you know [23:27] about my special ability back then? One [23:29] single pee. Thirty hours. Do you know [23:32] what state I was in at that time? I was [23:34] practicing the same kind of meditation [23:36] you were. My feet didn't touch the [23:38] ground; I was held up by the crowd. [23:40] Forget the bathroom, I couldn't even [23:42] move. There was someone under me, you [23:44] know how that goes. [23:45] People were even stuffed under the [23:46] seats sleeping. Yeah, I’ve done that [23:48] too. [23:49] Oh man, and the urination—what did [23:51] you do about that? In the end, by [23:52] holding it in, I achieved what you said [23:54] —the unity of man and nature, the [23:56] body disappeared. [23:56] Only the bladder remained. [23:58] There was only the bladder. I was truly [24:01] in a state of meditation, a deep trance [24:03] , focused entirely on the bladder for [24:05] over thirty hours. [24:07] Like the poem says, "No matter how long [24:08] you look, only the Jingting Mountain [24:10] remains." For me, no matter where I [24:12] looked, there was only the bladder. It [24:13] was true Zen meditation on the bladder. [24:16] I lost all feeling, only its existence [24:18] remained. It was just one bladder, all [24:20] I could think of was that bladder. [24:24] So when the train finally reached the [24:25] station, I dashed to the restroom. For [24:28] ten minutes... [24:29] It wouldn't come out. [24:30] It wouldn't come out. [24:31] I couldn't pee. [24:32] Right. [24:32] It was paralyzed. [24:33] Is that from holding it too long? I've [24:35] tried holding it too, and it just [24:36] wouldn't come out. [24:37] So, you can't complain; everyone has [24:39] that experience at least once in their [24:41] life. That's why today, I tell you, you [24:43] have these autonomic nerve... [24:46] Disturbed bladder, one bladder all the [24:48] way... [24:50] So I really can't keep working all the [24:52] time. I need a vacation, I need to [24:55] travel, and I need another life to [24:56] recalibrate myself. [24:58] Don't hold back anymore. Right? So the [25:01] happiest thing is that I can go to the [25:03] restroom in a bit. The show time is up. [25:07] So how should we celebrate the grand [25:09] finale of this second season? Hey, my [25:12] treat, my treat, my treat. Come on, [25:15] let's bring out what needs to be served [25:17] to celebrate our successful wrap-up. [25:21] Let's make this a round-table party. [25:24] What am I treating you to? Take a look. [25:26] Oh, oh, thank you. Apple. [25:28] Thank you, miss. Come on. [25:29] Thanks. [25:30] My treat, have some pie. Here, one for [25:32] each of you. You also represent the [25:34] vast... [25:34] Thanks for the hard work. After all [25:36] this time, just apple pie? [25:37] Wine. The budget isn't that high, you [25:39] know. [25:40] Can we really eat this? If we can eat [25:42] it, put it down. [25:43] Cheers, cheers. " [25:44] Cheers" to the pie! You represent the [25:47] many, many guests of this season. [25:50] You're eating on their behalf since [25:51] they didn't have the luck to enjoy it. [25:54] And this one here, it represents " [25:56] number two," right? Where are we going? [25:59] Can we stop being so silly? [26:01] It just shows how silly we are. [26:02] Right. [26:03] Too silly. This is for the island. [26:05] The island. [26:06] Season two. In season two, we...well, [26:08] this shows our dedication to the [26:10] audience. Like the silkworm spinning [26:13] until it dies, or the candle burning to [26:15] ashes; for this second season, consider [26:18] us the candle. My habit is that no [26:21] matter where I go, I don't want to rush [26:23] . I prefer places with more people, or [26:26] small cities and towns. When I see them [26:29] , I immediately feel a sense of comfort [26:31] . If it's too wild and open, I feel a [26:34] bit lost. In your life, have you ever [26:37] experienced a bitter, miserable life? [26:40] The most intense and memorable place [26:42] I've been—though I wouldn't call it a [26:43] vacation—was when I went to Chernobyl [26:45] . And then... [26:46] Oh my, I should probably stay far away [26:48] from you, I'm telling you. [26:49] Right, right. Who knows how many years [26:51] it's still there? It's possible. When I [26:53] went there, the restricted zone had a [26:55] radiation monitor at the entrance to [26:57] check your body levels first, and then [26:58] another one when you came out to see if [27:00] you had exceeded the limit. We were [27:03] holding our breath the whole time. [27:04] Seriously, we had to film, do the [27:06] transitions, and we couldn't afford to [27:08] make any mistakes, and so on. But just [27:10] as I was leaving, we headed back for a [27:12] moment because they said there was [27:13] still one old lady, a grandmother, left [27:15] in a village. She refused to leave [27:18] because her son was one of the [27:19] firefighters who died there back then, [27:21] and her husband had passed away too, so [27:23] she said, "Where I came from is where I [27:25] will go." And so, this old woman just [27:27] lived off the potatoes and radishes she [27:29] grew herself. No matter how you tried [27:31] to persuade her, she wouldn't leave. [27:33] Did those potatoes have radiation in [27:35] them? [27:35] Nobody knows; it's just unknown because [27:38] it's in the air. Right, you really [27:39] don't know, do you? Later, we just [27:41] decided that we should go back for a [27:43] visit. We found her right there, on the [27:45] edge of the exclusion zone. I still [27:46] remember that old lady's thick, large [27:48] hands—wow, she just pulled me in for [27:50] a hug. She was a plump little [27:52] grandmother. You're standing in a place [27:53] where the sun is shining and the breeze [27:55] is gentle; you don't feel or know [27:57] there's radiation, but when you put [27:58] that meter into the grass, it starts [28:00] beeping like crazy. [28:01] That is what I felt. If you call that [28:03] travel, it was the most bitter [28:05] experience I've had, but the impression [28:07] was so deep. Meeting her, she took me [28:09] in, even gave me a piece of chocolate, [28:11] and she said, "Where I came from is [28:13] where I will go." Wow, I think that's [28:15] the beauty of travel—you get to see [28:17] all kinds of people. [28:19] Let me ask you, why did you want to go? [28:21] This is where I differ from you war [28:23] correspondents. I feel like, no matter [28:25] what, I could never do it. How should I [28:28] put it? It's just different, which is [28:30] why I say you are truly worthy of [28:32] admiration. To me, let alone Chernobyl, [28:34] if you asked me to go anywhere near [28:36] there—I wouldn't go within ten [28:38] thousand kilometers even if you killed [28:40] me. A gentleman does not stand under a [28:42] crumbling wall; even if there is a [28:44] one-in-a-thousand chance of danger. [28:46] Hmm. [28:47] I wouldn't go. That's why I studied [28:48] journalism but never worked as a [28:50] reporter; I never wanted to be one. I [28:52] increasingly feel that it's hard for [28:53] people to analyze or rationally deduce [28:55] whether they will do something. Often, [28:57] it's just intuition. I still remember [29:00] looking at a magazine back then. [29:03] Initially, I was also calculating, [29:04] thinking, "I really shouldn't go to [29:06] that place." But then there was this [29:09] photo album in a magazine featuring a [29:11] girl riding a motorcycle, returning to [29:13] that place for the first time. She went [29:15] into the exclusion zone and took many [29:16] photos of the surrounding villages. [29:18] That village, after the accident, the [29:20] people were evacuated overnight; dolls [29:22] were left scattered on the ground, the [29:24] classroom doors were wide open, and [29:25] half a sentence was still written on [29:27] the chalkboard. So I filmed that. [29:30] Actually, if it were just an abandoned, [29:32] empty nuclear power plant, I might not [29:34] have had such a strong urge to film the [29:36] traces of human existence frozen in [29:38] that moment. In an instant, those [29:40] people never returned—they haven't [29:42] been back in over 30 years. I just felt [29:44] it held human traces, and there must be [29:46] so many fates and stories here. My [29:48] intuition just kicked in; at that [29:50] moment, you become irrational, driven [29:53] by that impulse. [29:54] Regarding his interview in Chernobyl, I [29:56] think Professor Xu and I might be the [29:58] same kind of person. [30:00] No matter how great the value, it [30:01] wouldn't make me risk radiation [30:03] exposure—not even a little bit. [30:05] Even when I go to the hospital for [30:06] check-ups, I try to avoid things. If I [30:09] need an X-ray, I’ll take just one. [30:11] Or a CT scan; they say the radiation [30:13] from a CT is... [30:14] Exactly, exactly. You want to see if [30:16] there's any man who isn't afraid of [30:17] death. Back when we were at Phoenix, I [30:20] would say, it really was women out [30:22] front and men staying behind. Female [30:25] reporters were on the battlefields in [30:27] Iraq, or running off to—what was it, [30:30] again? Why? [30:33] I don't think it has much to do with [30:34] courage; I think it’s just that [30:36] intuition and impulse you have in that [30:37] very moment. Hiking, we’re talking [30:40] about hiking. I read about this 67- [30:43] year-old American woman who had been a [30:45] housewife for over 30 years and had a [30:47] dozen children, and then one day she [30:48] just said, "I have to go hiking," and [30:50] she walked the Appalachian Trail, right [30:52] . [30:53] She was just a regular American rural [30:56] woman, 67 years old. She said, "Hey, I [30:58] saw that no woman had ever hiked the [31:00] Appalachian Trail, so I just set out [31:02] with a small pack." Later, she created [31:05] this legendary miracle of hiking. And [31:08] people asked her, "Why?" She said, " [31:10] Because I want to." No, it's just that [31:13] I feel at times like that, it's really [31:15] hard to explain your own thoughts or [31:17] that impulse... [31:18] Can you understand that? [31:20] I don't get it. I just wonder how her [31:21] husband must have felt, like me. They [31:24] were probably already divorced by then. [31:26] She might have wanted some healing; she [31:28] just didn't know how to pull herself [31:30] out of her old life. Regarding this [31:34] irrationality, didn't some philosophers [31:36] say that we always assume our reason [31:38] governs our irrationality? Yeah. [31:42] In reality, your reason is merely [31:44] deceiving your irrationality. [31:46] Yeah. [31:48] The impulse that originally led you to [31:50] do something, you actually don't know [31:52] why. [31:53] True. For instance, Xiaonan decided to [31:55] join my show today, right? He might [31:58] have some reasons he thinks he knows, [32:00] like, "I get along well with Wentao," [32:02] or "I can meet Professor Lei and ask [32:04] some questions," and so on. But these [32:06] reasons aren't necessarily the real [32:08] ones. In fact, that intuition, that [32:11] impulse, is inexplicable. There has [32:13] even been research on this. Take your [32:15] left brain, for example; assume there's [32:17] a part of the brain responsible for [32:19] finding reasons, and it just quickly [32:21] fabricates one for you. Yeah. [32:23] It weaves a reason. Just like the brain [32:25] hemisphere experiments some have done, [32:27] since your left eye is connected to the [32:29] right brain and the right eye to the [32:31] left, they show each eye something [32:33] different. When they see this object, [32:36] their left side actually makes up a [32:38] reason for them, which isn't the true [32:39] reason. [32:41] Yeah. [32:42] They discovered this mystery of the [32:44] left and right brain, which is [32:45] equivalent to many of the impulsive [32:47] things you do in life. You think you're [32:51] being very rational, but perhaps it's [32:53] just a part of your brain responsible [32:55] for excuse-making that found reasons [32:56] for you. As for the actual reason you [32:59] did that thing, you don't know where it [33:01] comes from. [33:02] I see a very, very crucial distinction [33:04] here. Is it that you don't know your [33:06] own irrationality? Or is it that nobody [33:08] knows because there's simply no reason? [33:11] That's different. For example, if I do [33:13] something driven by my irrationality. [33:16] Yeah. [33:17] I don't know it. [33:17] But Wentao, watching from the side, [33:19] sees it very clearly. [33:20] Oh. He might see what you actually want [33:23] to do. It's just that your reason [33:26] doesn't dare to admit it. [33:27] So you deceive yourself, and you remain [33:29] in a muddled state of ignorance. [33:31] But another perspective suggests that [33:32] what's beneath the iceberg is [33:34] fundamentally impossible to figure out. [33:38] Well, take me, for example; whether [33:41] it's the left brain or right brain, [33:43] rational or irrational, my instinct for [33:45] survival is just too strong. [33:49] This is a question worth contemplating. [33:51] You see, many people don't understand [33:54] Wang Shi either. Why did I go? Just [33:56] because the mountain was there? You [33:57] know, if you're not an insider, what [33:59] does "because the mountain is there" [34:01] mean? Because I wanted to climb it, [34:03] achieved self-actualization—I admire [34:05] that, but the probability of actually [34:07] dying is very high. Yeah. [34:09] So, if you lose your life for this, is [34:11] it really worth it? [34:14] Who knows. That’s not the question. [34:16] When we say life and death are fated, [34:18] it means if heaven wants you to go, [34:20] there’s nothing you can do. [34:22] But look at some people whose actions [34:24] are something they choose for [34:26] themselves. [34:27] Yeah. [34:28] I might die, but I’m going to do it [34:30] anyway. [34:31] That’s how it is on the battlefield. [34:32] But sometimes soldiers are forced into [34:35] it; it’s hard to say. [34:36] Then aren’t extreme sports the same? [34:39] I think there must be a huge, ultimate [34:40] sense of reward in there that we [34:42] haven’t experienced, and that thing [34:44] must be very addictive. [34:45] Is it a kind of addiction? [34:47] Definitely an addiction; I think it’s [34:49] a visceral, physical experience. Look [34:51] at that Oscar-winning documentary "Free [34:53] Solo." How could you possibly [34:57] understand him? He’s hanging in a [35:00] crevice, supporting his entire body [35:01] weight with his fingertips, and you [35:03] feel the probability of death far [35:05] outweighs the probability of survival. [35:08] He just says, because everyone has to [35:10] die, maybe I’ll just die a little [35:11] earlier doing this. He says when you [35:17] put your fingertips there, you feel [35:18] this ultimate, highly focused sense of [35:20] reward from confronting something, and [35:22] you have to be absolutely perfect to [35:24] survive. And when you survive, you feel [35:29] closer to perfection. I love watching [35:32] these films, these rock climbing ones. [35:35] Although I’d never do it myself, [35:36] watching them makes me think they’re [35:38] like gods. [35:39] You know the legend you mentioned, the [35:40] one whose arms are longer than his legs [35:42] —what is he actually doing? He [35:44] doesn’t think he’s risking his life [35:45] . [35:45] Right. [35:46] For example, to climb a cliff, he [35:48] actually hangs by a rope first. [35:49] Right, he practices a lot. [35:51] It’s just like us performing a show. [35:53] Exactly. [35:53] Every step, which crack to grip, where [35:55] to place his feet—he has to rehearse [35:57] it over and over. During practice, he [36:02] has fallen while hanging on the rope, [36:03] so he has to memorize every single [36:05] crack along the way perfectly. It’s [36:10] like completing a very precise program; [36:12] as long as you execute it all correctly [36:14] , you can succeed. [36:16] Yeah. [36:16] Reach the summit. I remember someone [36:18] asked him, "How is it possible not to [36:20] be afraid?" He said, "As for this fear, [36:22] after climbing it a few times, by this [36:24] time, I’m not that afraid anymore." [36:27] I’ve expanded my range to include [36:29] everything, into my comfort zone. He [36:31] said, "By practicing constantly, I [36:33] expand my comfort zone, pushing the [36:35] fear further out, so that I only feel [36:37] afraid when I encounter something truly [36:39] unexpected." He transformed his fear [36:41] through this kind of continuous [36:42] training. Later, I saw someone even [36:46] more reckless than him—that person [36:48] had already fallen off a cliff. I think [36:51] that person was like someone who [36:53] attained life through death. [36:55] Hmm. [36:55] Like ascending through death. [36:57] Mm-hmm. [36:57] There are some people who seem to be [36:59] driven by a kind of destiny. Like this [37:01] young guy in his twenties doing parkour [37:04] , challenging these feats without any [37:06] gear, no protection at all—just [37:08] scaling it. Then, out of pride, after [37:13] he broke a record, someone pointed out [37:15] he’d used some pre-installed [37:17] equipment and said it didn't count, so [37:19] he went back to prove he could do it [37:21] without any help. Later, another young [37:27] guy challenged him, and I just wondered [37:29] : what are they even doing? It goes on [37:31] like that endlessly, which is why I [37:33] talk about high jumping. The end result [37:35] of high jumping is failure, right? [37:37] Isn't it? [37:37] Yes, the last jump is always... [37:39] The last jump is always a failure. [37:41] So if it keeps going on endlessly like [37:43] that, what is it? [37:45] Is that what you call "ascending [37:47] through death"? [37:48] But the jump before the last one was a [37:50] success. [37:52] Do you think we only truly feel alive [37:54] when we are extremely close to death? [37:57] Have you ever had a moment where you [37:59] felt, "I am solidly, truly alive"? Some [38:03] mountaineers are like that; they say at [38:05] that moment, the mind just becomes, how [38:07] should I put it, completely clear. [38:13] As if I am one with the universe, [38:14] though I wouldn't dare... [38:20] I think, for instance, we usually live [38:22] our lives scattered, but perhaps at a [38:24] moment when you need extreme focus, it [38:26] generates a sense of happiness. [38:29] And at that moment, it is lonely. Yes, [38:31] exactly. [38:32] It’s just you alone. [38:33] Yes. [38:35] We wonder if there are such unique [38:37] people whom we can't quite understand. [38:42] Well, today you have the chance to meet [38:44] one—he was the first person to walk [38:46] across all of China over ten years. [38:50] 81,000 kilometers, and robbed 19 times. [38:54] I say, let's first introduce the gear [38:56] you carried while walking across the [38:58] country. Yes, this is the pack I [39:00] usually carry; when I'm in uninhabited [39:02] areas, it doubles in weight. Oh. [39:05] What do you mean by doubles? [39:06] Twice as much. [39:07] Even twice as heavy. [39:08] How heavy is this? [39:10] About 60 or 70 jin. [39:13] Hey, can you put it on? Let us take a [39:16] look. Here. [39:18] I don't even know how to put this on. [39:21] Oh my god. When I hike in uninhabited [39:26] areas, it's twice as heavy as this, [39:28] over 100 jin. Yeah, it's like carrying [39:30] a person. [39:31] Right, 80,000 kilometers over ten years [39:32] . [39:33] Over 80,000 kilometers. [39:34] That's, what, twice around the Earth? [39:36] Twice and a bit. [39:37] Twice and a bit. [39:38] Let us just see you go around once. Let [39:40] us see your heroic stature. My god. [39:42] And you'd have to add double that [39:43] amount. [39:44] Exactly. That’s over 100 jin. This is [39:46] ...this is... [39:47] My god. [39:48] Wow. [39:49] Hey, down there. Do either of you want [39:52] to try? [39:53] Let me try it. [39:54] Okay, okay, look at this daredevil. I [39:57] just want to ask, are you happy now? [39:59] Because he can go to Chernobyl. I [40:01] didn't expect you to try, I was just [40:03] looking at Mr. Xu, your... [40:05] I’m just too curious about this. I [40:06] don’t... [40:07] Oh, you...you can't handle this. You [40:10] can't, you can't. I have to try. Let me [40:12] experience it. Come on, help me get it [40:15] on. [40:16] Let's see if I can do it. God. [40:19] You have to lean forward. Hey, let me [40:22] see. [40:23] Oh. [40:24] My god. [40:26] Hey, it's actually quite comfortable. [40:28] It feels like someone is walking along [40:30] ...walking along... [40:32] Hey, it’s like someone is massaging [40:34] my lower back. [40:35] You won't be able to stand straight [40:37] after a while. [40:38] No, why do I feel like...I look like a [40:40] fool. I want to walk like this. Oh, you [40:43] really can only take a few steps. Just [40:45] a few steps. Hey, is there a technique [40:47] to carrying this? You have to stand [40:49] straight. You can't stand straight, you [40:51] must lean forward. [40:53] What about the hands? [40:54] Hands should swing freely. [40:56] Don't you have to give me a walking [40:57] stick to lean on? [40:58] I basically don't use one. [41:00] I have to use one. [41:01] You can count on it. [41:04] I'm so old. [41:06] Why do you look a bit like Zhufu? [41:10] Oh my god, let me see. I’m just [41:14] getting a feel for it. I’ve seen your [41:19] short videos. [41:23] I think I could walk for about 15 [41:25] minutes. It's getting a bit difficult [41:27] already. I...I think I'm about done. [41:31] Looking at your...your posture. [41:33] No, I think you have a real technique. [41:35] How do you strap this on? It’s [41:36] actually quite comfortable, isn't it? [41:38] Why bring so much stuff? [41:40] Uh, because for one person, it's like [41:42] carrying a home. Inside there's a tent, [41:46] clothes, medicine, tools, books, tripod [41:48] . It's already minimized, isn't it? [41:50] Minimized as much as possible. [41:52] Could you open it up for us right now [41:53] so we can take a look inside? [41:54] Yeah, right? [41:55] Sure. [41:56] This is a small accessory from the [41:57] Maonan ethnic group, one of the 56 [41:59] ethnic groups. Look at how fine and [42:01] beautiful this bamboo weaving is. [42:03] Like a strand of hair. [42:05] Try it on and let me see. [42:09] So fun, so fun. I think Xiaonan will [42:12] look very beautiful. [42:13] Really. Like a noble lady. Hey, it [42:15] looks good, really good. It's beautiful [42:18] . [42:18] Look at this, especially the inside, [42:20] this [42:20] This has to be scientifically designed, [42:22] right? What kind of things do you have [42:24] to prepare? [42:25] This is a tripod. For all the photos [42:27] I've taken, I've gone through twenty or [42:29] thirty tripods alone. [42:31] Some got tangled up during fights, and [42:33] some fell from the mountains and broke. [42:35] But inside, there’s also something [42:37] for self-defense. [42:38] Let me see the defense Wow, oh my, this [42:47] Also, believe it or not, I’ve [42:49] encountered 19 robberies. [42:51] Hmm. [42:52] Show me. [42:53] I’m in pretty good shape. Sometimes a [42:55] guy around 20 with a dagger would try [42:57] to rob me, knowing I’m an outsider. [43:00] I’d think, if it came to a fight, I [43:02] could definitely beat him. [43:04] Hmm. [43:06] Later, when my hair grew over a meter [43:08] long, there were these four young guys [43:11] with daggers and wooden sticks. They [43:15] came from a small grove, knowing I’d [43:17] pass through that village. They were [43:19] waiting in ambush. They chased me. [43:21] Carrying that bag, I couldn’t outrun [43:23] them, right? So I dropped my bag; it [43:25] was right there in the tripod bag. I [43:27] usually let my hair down in the wild. [43:29] Then they ran to cut me off. I turned [43:31] and ran back toward them, though I was [43:33] terrified at the time. [43:34] Hmm. Then I pulled out the blade. At [43:36] that moment, it was bright and shining. [43:38] As I ran, my hair was flying everywhere [43:40] . I said, "I finally see some people!" [43:42] They turned and ran away. That first [43:44] time, I scared off all four of those [43:46] guys. Hey, that’s so amazing. [43:47] They thought a wild man had appeared. [43:49] That was completely unexpected. [43:51] To see a thief and still be happy to [43:52] see people. Hmm. [43:53] It’s because you’ve been in [43:54] no-man's-land for too long without [43:56] seeing anyone. [43:56] You’d be like, "Oh! I finally see a [43:59] person!" [43:59] I’ve had this all disinfected. [44:01] I’ve worn out 52 pairs of shoes. [44:03] These are two pairs I brought along; [44:05] the shoes were worn down to this extent [44:07] . [44:07] You have to carry one or two pairs in [44:09] your bag every time. [44:11] Sometimes you need a spare pair. Look [44:14] at how these shoes were worn down. [44:16] I once shot some footage in the [44:18] Taklamakan Desert. I specifically chose [44:22] a pair with such thick soles, like [44:24] combat boots, but I found that after [44:26] walking for just half a month...They [44:28] split because they cracked. Does that [44:31] happen often? It’s just too dry, [44:34] right? [44:36] Back then, the shoe glue wasn't great, [44:38] and in the Taklamakan, as well as [44:40] crossing the Lop Desert, it wore out [44:43] incredibly fast. [44:44] These are the 52-type combat boots. Wow [44:47] , you really kept these? You should [44:49] definitely hold onto them. [44:52] This is October 20th, 1998. This is the [44:54] first piece of clothing I wore, the one [44:56] I had on the very first day. [44:58] Hey, put it on and let's see. Hey. [45:00] This was the day I set off, back in [45:01] Harbin. [45:02] In Harbin, huh? [45:03] October 20th, '98. [45:05] It's a bit big, isn't it? [45:06] I wanted it to be a bit loose. [45:08] Ah. [45:08] I could wear layers underneath. [45:10] But when you bought this, did you print [45:12] these characters yourself? [45:13] I had it printed myself, I found a [45:15] friend to help me. [45:16] Oh, and this one? [45:18] This one is what I wore...When I walked [45:20] into Lop Nur, it was also the last [45:22] piece of clothing I wore when I came [45:24] out. [45:26] What do you mean, "the last piece"? [45:28] I wore it for ten years; it was the [45:29] final piece of clothing when I finished [45:31] the walk. Oh. [45:31] It accompanied me to the very end. [45:33] The last stop, Lop Nur. [45:34] I was wearing this when I walked out of [45:36] Lop Nur. [45:37] Nice, "China Red." Right? [45:39] Oh, so you started in red and finished [45:42] in red too. [45:43] Yes, "the whole country is red," as [45:45] they say. Back then, had you made up [45:46] your mind to walk for ten years? [45:48] Yes, the plan was ten years. But how [45:51] confident were you back then? [45:53] Basically not confident at all. I felt [45:55] that if I died on the road, then so be [45:58] it; I had to try my best to realize my [46:00] dream. [46:00] Look, this is just answering the [46:02] question we had earlier. [46:03] What do you mean "if I died on the road [46:05] , then so be it"? How could anyone take [46:06] their life so lightly? [46:07] It’s not taking it lightly, but I [46:09] tried my best to survive. The reason I [46:11] said I might die......is because there [46:13] wasn't a single precedent of someone [46:15] actually finishing the trek. I didn't [46:17] have anyone's footsteps to follow. I [46:19] just had to walk, that's all. But there [46:22] was no one. So, for me to actually [46:25] finish it, the odds were one in a [46:27] hundred million. The probability of [46:30] survival was too low, yet I had to do [46:32] it. [46:34] I...I’m sorry to say this, but... [46:37] Isn't that just asking for death? [46:39] If the probability of death was that [46:42] high—let alone that high, even a 10% [46:44] chance of death is unacceptable to us. [46:47] Well, my crossing of Lop Nur must have [46:50] had a 99.99%mortality rate. [46:53] I wasn't wrong when I said he is the [46:55] first person since the Tang Dynasty to [46:58] walk through the entire Lop Nur region. [47:00] Is that true? [47:01] Yes. [47:02] Have you verified this? [47:03] The media told me that, too. I’ve [47:05] also looked into it. Then why say " [47:07] since the Tang Dynasty"? [47:09] They said—and I asked them too—they [47:11] said only Xuanzang from the Tang [47:13] Dynasty, [47:14] Xuanzang walked along the edge, from [47:16] Hami and Altay, but there was water in [47:18] the Lop Nur back then. He didn't walk [47:20] through the riverbed. When I walked, [47:23] the water had dried up, so I walked [47:25] through the riverbed. I was wearing [47:28] these clothes, with an inner layer; [47:29] there were two pockets inside where I [47:31] kept things, because back then there [47:33] were no cards, no credit cards. [47:36] One pocket for cash, and one for my [47:39] bank passbook. [47:40] A bank passbook? [47:41] A bank passbook. [47:42] Oh, so in the towns along the way, you [47:44] could use the bank or... [47:46] Oh, the Postal Savings? How much money [47:48] did you carry when you set off? I [47:50] deposited money into it little by [47:51] little. Ah, I—I wore this little vest [47:56] . [47:57] This is my livelihood, let me take over [47:59] for a moment. [48:01] I wore this when I participated in the [48:03] air defense drill, and these marks here [48:04] , one was worn down by carrying eggs, [48:06] and the other by carrying stones. [48:08] Oh, carrying stones? [48:10] Carrying stones meant hauling rocks up [48:12] the mountain to block things; this is [48:13] the most precious piece of clothing [48:15] I've had in these ten years. Why? [48:20] Uh, there’s a story behind this, and [48:22] inside this set of clothes. It was the [48:26] night of July 12, 2002, in the no-man's [48:28] land of Ali, Tibet. After I set up my [48:31] tent, there were two or three wolves [48:33] nearby, maybe 100 or 200 meters away, [48:36] circling around. I encountered them [48:39] often, so I would tie a few [48:40] firecrackers to a pebble, so I could [48:42] throw them a bit further. [48:44] Right. [48:45] Then I’d light them and throw them [48:47] out, and the wolves would run away. [48:49] After they left, I liked to record it [48:51] in my diary. I could hear the wolves [48:53] howling outside. Later, I was [48:55] half-asleep, and just as I drifted off, [48:57] I heard a rustling sound outside. I [49:00] always kept my knife unsheathed, [49:03] right by my side, I could reach it with [49:06] my eyes closed. I pulled open the tent [49:08] flap and took a look; it was a sea of [49:10] green eyes. It was definitely a pack of [49:14] more than a dozen, maybe up to 20, [49:16] it’s hard to say exactly. So I [49:19] started setting off firecrackers from [49:21] inside. Setting off firecrackers, but [49:24] in the end, they started nudging my [49:26] tent. I was inside—it was a yellow [49:28] tent—I can’t even set it up anymore [49:31] , I lived in that tent for seven years. [49:34] When their snouts pushed against it, I [49:36] could vaguely see their whiskers, the [49:38] wolf whiskers. Did they break through? [49:41] They didn't break through, but I could [49:43] see them, yes, exactly. [49:45] Later, I used this walking stick. This [49:47] walking stick was gathered over at the [49:49] Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon; it’s [49:51] called a stone-core bamboo. [49:53] Mm. [49:53] It’s like stone. [49:54] It’s like stone. Actually, it’s not [49:56] solid stone; it has small pores. And [49:58] then, it can sprout from this side, and [50:00] sprout from that side too. [50:01] But it’s not our ordinary kind of [50:03] bamboo, it’s just called stone-core [50:04] bamboo. [50:06] Oh, I used it like a dry branch, [50:09] roasted it over a fire, and bent it. [50:14] That way, I used this walking stick [50:16] inside the tent to poke the burning [50:18] clothes and threw them directly at the [50:20] wolves. [50:22] Oh, so this is...... [50:24] from back then, this... [50:25] Wolves are afraid of fire. [50:26] All animals are afraid of fire, afraid [50:29] of fire. [50:29] What’s left of the burning. [50:32] There’s still one piece left from the [50:33] burning here. [50:36] Oh. [50:36] Three pieces were burned, and there was [50:38] a shirt that was burned away, almost [50:40] completely gone. [50:41] But what would you have done if your [50:42] clothes had all burned off? [50:43] I still had one backup set. Finally, [50:46] the next morning, that was at an [50:48] altitude of around meters. In mid-July, [50:50] there was heavy snow, thunder, and snow [50:53] . Walking later wasn't cold. It was [50:55] cold at night, but not during the day. [50:57] By noon the next day, I ran into some [50:59] military vehicles, army trucks. They [51:03] must have thought I wasn't a normal [51:04] person. [51:06] Mm. [51:07] I’m not really normal to begin with. [51:09] Later, I asked, "What are the army [51:11] trucks doing?""What do you do?""Do you [51:13] have identification?" I showed them my [51:15] photo album and some newspaper reports [51:17] that the media had done on me. And my [51:19] certifications. After showing them, [51:22] they asked, "What are you doing?" I [51:24] said, "I'm walking across China. I ran [51:26] into a pack of wolves last night and [51:28] burned my clothes. Could you help me [51:30] find some food and a set of clothes?" [51:33] This was given to me by the commander [51:34] of the Tibet Military District. [51:36] Oh, we still have to rely on our [51:38] People's Liberation Army. Hey, let me [51:40] see the characters on your walking [51:42] stick, the cameraman can film that. [51:43] This thing here. This is what I did [51:47] during my breaks: crossing the Tanggula [51:50] Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains, the [51:52] Qaidam Basin, the source of the Yangtze [51:54] River, and the source of the Yellow [51:56] River. [51:59] Metok, the flow through the Yarlung [52:00] Tsangpo River. [52:01] Did you carve this yourself? [52:03] I carved it myself with a small knife. [52:05] Wow, this reminds me of those Han [52:07] dynasty bamboo slips; it’s so good, [52:09] it’s really... [52:11] It’s so good, from 2001. [52:15] You know, this would actually look [52:17] great hanging on a wall. It’s [52:19] beautiful, isn’t it? Truly. Very good [52:21] . [52:22] I’ll just take this down for now. [52:24] When you threw it, did the pack of [52:25] wolves retreat right away? [52:26] I burned the wolves until they howled, [52:28] but they didn't retreat. [52:29] Oh. [52:29] Yeah. [52:30] So what did you do when they didn't [52:31] retreat? You just keep on burning them. [52:33] I set off firecrackers to burn my [52:34] clothes, leaving only one autumn outfit [52:36] , so I didn't dare burn any more; I was [52:37] afraid of freezing to death, so I just [52:39] held that knife. Uh, I also had [52:41] insecticide, so I kept spraying it. [52:43] Actually, it was pesticide; the smell [52:45] was incredibly strong, and sometimes [52:47] when the wind blew it into the tent, it [52:49] made me feel nauseous. I sprayed so [52:51] much that only a little was left, so I [52:52] held that little bit of insecticide and [52:54] a knife, sitting there until dawn. [52:56] And what about the wolves? [52:57] Later, the wolves retreated. [52:59] Oh, why did they just retreat on their [53:00] own? [53:01] I don't know. [53:01] Maybe the fire scared them off. [53:03] This...this is a rope. This is the rope [53:05] I use in the wild. [53:06] Oh, this kind of rope is usually for [53:08] mountain climbing. Yes, for some cliffs [53:10] , sometimes you can't get up. [53:12] I throw it up, then wrap it around. [53:15] So when you said you were sitting there [53:17] with the wolves neither advancing nor [53:19] retreating, holding a knife and that [53:21] spray, did time pass extremely slowly [53:23] or extremely quickly? [53:25] Extremely slowly, extremely. This is my [53:28] ten years 'worth of hair. [53:30] Uh, these last two years I was [53:32] malnourished, and it came out in [53:34] handfuls. It fell out so much when I [53:36] washed it; I lost more hair in two [53:38] years than in the ten years I spent [53:40] growing it. [53:40] Wow, this is longer than any hair [53:42] Xiaonan has ever had. [53:43] I don't think I've ever had it this [53:44] long. [53:45] No, he made a vow, right? Meaning, if I [53:47] don't finish the journey, I won't... [53:48] If you don't finish, you don't cut it, [53:50] right? [53:50] This is hair grown for ten years. [53:52] Yes, yes, hair grown for ten years. [53:54] You've grown so much hair. [53:55] This is what fell out; it’s what fell [53:57] out over two years, and I collected it. [53:59] Oh, you are so sentimental. [54:00] Every time you brush it, it falls out [54:02] in clumps, so you just keep it. I feel [54:05] everything is a benchmark, so I [54:07] collected it all. [54:08] This is the dried cheese curd I ate in [54:10] Xinjiang. [54:10] Oh. [54:11] Can I smell it? [54:13] Oh, I've seen this kind before. [54:15] It smells like stinky feet. [54:17] That's right, it really does stink, [54:18] that's what I think too. [54:19] That's exactly the smell. It's the [54:21] original, authentic flavor. [54:23] Eating this stuff is very nutritious. [54:24] Hmm. [54:25] You already had so many things, but you [54:27] actually still brought things back from [54:28] local areas, constantly adding... [54:29] I've been gathering things for ten [54:31] years. [54:32] Hmm. I’ve been gathering things for [54:36] ten years, and in the end, I’ve saved [54:39] over two tons of items with writing, [54:41] like books, periodicals, ethnic [54:43] materials, plus animal bones found in [54:45] no-man's-land and some stone fossils. [54:50] Doesn't that make it hard to travel [54:51] light? Well, the further I go, the more [54:53] things I collect. [54:54] Then, when I collected several dozen [54:55] jin, I would go to the post office, [54:57] wrap it up, and mail it back. Back then [54:58] , there were no couriers; everything [55:00] went through the post office. So, he is [55:01] very thoughtful. He took the things he [55:04] collected and held two or three [55:05] exhibitions in Beijing. [55:07] This is the thermometer I used back [55:08] then. [55:09] Mm. [55:11] This thermometer is too ordinary. [55:14] No, it's not. [55:15] Why did you use such a big plate-sized [55:17] bag? [55:18] This is what I got when I left Yangguan [55:20] to enter Lop Nur. They gave me [55:22] something like this, a "West of [55:24] Yangguan" pass. " [55:25] West of the pass, there's no one." Oh, [55:27] I see, a border pass, a travel document [55:30] . [55:30] Exactly, exactly. Hey, I'm interested [55:32] in this. [55:33] A border travel document. This is like [55:35] what Tang Xuanzang, Tang Seng, didn't [55:38] have. [55:40] He had to sneak out of the country. [55:42] The post office. [55:43] A small post office stamped it for me. [55:46] Yes, yes, this place is Yangguan. [55:49] Because it's a tourist spot, they make [55:51] things like this. [55:53] This is a small smoking pipe used by [55:55] the Dulong people. It’s made of [55:57] bamboo. Oh, I like this. It's great, [55:59] how wonderful this is. Made of bamboo [56:01] joints, huh? [56:02] This is also a bamboo root. [56:03] And it looks a bit like the head of a [56:05] Luohan statue, doesn't it? [56:06] It looks a little bit like it. [56:07] Dulong ethnic group. [56:09] You're thinking about hanging it on the [56:10] wall again. [56:11] Yes, just hang it on the wall, it [56:13] really looks good, look. Let me tell [56:16] the three teachers here. I was wearing [56:20] this exact outfit. [56:22] And a pair of shoes. I bought this [56:24] clothing on Barkhor Street in Lhasa. It [56:27] was 90 yuan for this whole set. Then I [56:30] got a pair of shoes for 40 yuan and [56:32] headed toward Mount Everest. In the end [56:34] , I climbed to the Rongbuk Glacier at [56:37] nearly 7,000 meters. I shot several [56:39] rolls of film. Some were of the glacier [56:41] , and some I set up in selfie mode to [56:43] photograph myself. I shot two or three [56:46] rolls of film. [56:46] When I got off the mountain, because my [56:49] trip had a theme—a theme that sparked [56:51] controversy and was seen as a bit [56:53] pretentious—I called it " [56:55] Environmental, Ethnic Exploration." I [56:57] wanted to cover all 56 ethnic groups. [56:59] And, incidentally, make some records [57:02] regarding environmental protection. I [57:04] saw non-biodegradable trash left at [57:06] Mount Everest, and I carried a [57:08] snakeskin bag and picked it up all the [57:10] way from 7,000 meters down to the 5,200 [57:13] -meter base camp. It's just that since [57:15] I was staring at the ground, sometimes [57:17] the footing wasn't even, and I almost [57:19] fell over. I also picked up a few [57:22] fossils there. Oh my, these are ancient [57:25] . These are from the ocean from that [57:27] time, millions of years ago. [57:30] Because the Himalayas used to be an [57:32] ocean. After that uplift, there’s [57:36] this really huge thing called an [57:37] ammonite, you’ve seen them in museums [57:39] , [57:41] it’s from the sea originally. This [57:44] proves the Himalayan orogeny pushed it [57:46] up from the ocean floor, [57:47] which is why you still find these [57:49] marine [57:49] fossils on the mountains. " [57:51] The seas changing into mulberry fields, [57:53] " this is my [57:53] This is the compressed biscuit I ate in [57:56] Lop Nur. [57:57] Oh, let me see. [57:58] High-energy compressed biscuits. How [58:01] much energy does one piece provide? Two [58:05] pieces are enough for a whole day, no [58:07] problem. [58:08] Have you ever starved? On the road? [58:10] The longest was five days without [58:12] eating anything fit for humans, but I [58:14] could still eat. [58:16] Like what? [58:18] Like catching mice, eating snakes raw, [58:21] eating ants, lizards, flies. [58:26] Don't you get an upset stomach from [58:28] eating those? [58:29] Flies taste better than mice. Try it if [58:31] you don't believe me. [58:32] The title of this episode should be " [58:34] Flies Taste Better Than Mice." [58:35] Good title. [58:36] Because mice have that musty, earthy [58:38] smell. It's hard to swallow; flies [58:41] don't have much taste, just gooey when [58:43] you chew, but they have moisture. They [58:46] have a bit of nutrition. [58:48] Now, it's all over your face. What's [58:51] your show called? Something like " [58:54] Life's Warmth and Coldness"? [58:56] All over your face. [58:58] This is what I picked up in Lop Nur. [59:01] Wild camel dung. [59:02] Ah. [59:05] Wild camels are even rarer and more [59:07] precious than giant pandas. [59:12] Oh, your little bowls are coming in [59:14] handy now. [59:17] This is camel dung. This isn't brown [59:21] rice, not a date. [59:25] What is this? [59:29] Wild camel dung, it's also my...these [59:31] are geological samples from Lop Nur. [59:37] Oh, in 1972 the last drop of water [59:39] dried up, these are just little water [59:42] snails. [59:42] Oh, there are even water snails? So it [59:44] really was a lake! [59:45] Lake. [59:46] The last drop of water, it seems it had [59:48] ... [59:48] It dried up in 1972, there's a [59:50] wandering Lop Nur lake. [59:52] But isn't Lop Nur where our country [59:54] conducted atomic bomb tests? Could [59:56] there be radioactivity? [59:58] Hmm, and these are bullet casings and [60:00] clips I found in the barracks left [60:02] behind from back then. [60:04] It's not a barrack anymore, it's gone. [60:06] It collapsed, the house is still there; [60:08] I picked up a piece of pottery in [60:10] Loulan. [60:10] Ha. [60:10] You really are "not entering the Loulan [60:12] ruins if you don't return." [60:15] These are some geological samples. And [60:18] this is mica. You can take it out and [60:22] look, the big piece is shiny. [60:26] Is this called crystal? [60:27] No, mica. How do you have all this [60:29] knowledge? [60:31] I didn't even get a degree or go to [60:32] school. [60:33] It’s because for the ten years before [60:35] you left, you were preparing, both [60:37] physically and intellectually. [60:40] This is the kind of sand blown down [60:42] from the mountains. And this belongs to [60:46] coarse sandstone. [60:49] This is real sand. [60:51] This is coarse sand. [60:52] Where is the sand from? [60:54] Lop Nur.' [60:54] s sand. Everything here is Lop Nur. [60:57] Right. [60:59] And you can walk for two days and it [61:01] stays the same, then it changes after [61:03] another two days. [61:04] Can you imagine that? This yellow [61:06] desert is actually pitch black. [61:08] Black Gobi, some call it black. [61:10] Black Gobi, yes. [61:12] Then as you walk, it suddenly changes. [61:14] It's like this. [61:15] Oh, this has become finer. [61:17] Oh. [61:18] Oh. [61:19] This is a different kind of sand. Yes. [61:21] Oh, it turned into this kind of sand. [61:23] Hmm. And as you keep walking forward, [61:27] this is fine sand. And this is over in [61:31] Loulan, it's like gold. [61:33] This is what I'm familiar with. [61:34] My goodness. [61:35] Like flour, right. [61:37] Oh. [61:38] Really. What is it based on? Going [61:40] further in, why does this landscape [61:42] change happen? [61:43] It's based on different terrains, like [61:45] Yardang landforms. There are many types [61:48] of terrain, and the landscape [61:50] determines the different types of sand [61:52] found in each area. [61:54] Hmm. [61:55] Sometimes it gets crushed finer and [61:57] finer. [61:57] Look, flowing through my fingers, this [61:59] is what we call time flowing, right? [62:02] Let me tell you, Xiaonan, they say that [62:04] first-class beach... [62:06] The best sand beaches are... [62:08] They're as fine as powdered milk. [62:10] Look, the sand in the desert is this [62:12] kind. [62:13] Oh, I think Teacher Lei has a gift for [62:15] running a museum. [62:17] This is a piece I picked up. [62:19] Hmm. [62:20] In Lop. [62:22] Oh, use this as a flowerpot. [62:26] Hey. [62:26] This one of yours. I asked the teacher, [62:29] you know that Lop Nur looks like a "Big [62:32] Ear" lake on satellite imagery. [62:35] I found a rock at Lop Nur. It's just [62:38] like the outline of that "Big Ear." [62:40] Oh, this is the symbol of Lop Nur. [62:42] Oh. [62:43] Yes. [62:44] Looks like a big ear. [62:46] This is called a ventifact. [62:47] Wow. [62:48] It's carved by the wind. [62:50] Pretty, this kind. [62:52] This is beautiful. [62:53] Ventifact. [62:54] Hmm, this really, this could be [62:55] displayed as an ornamental stone, right [62:57] ? [62:57] Yes, sculpted by the wind. [62:59] Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. [63:01] The last drop of water in Lop Nur dried [63:03] up in 1972, didn't it? [63:04] Hmm. [63:05] It formed a salt crust; this is a real [63:07] salt crust. You can't eat it; it mainly [63:10] contains potassium. [63:11] Potassium, as in the potassium in NPK [63:13] fertilizer. [63:17] I saw a spot where machines had gone in [63:19] to survey the minerals, and they had [63:21] dug up a chunk that was white [63:22] underneath. So I started digging down, [63:29] and finally, I got this piece. [63:33] Wow. [63:33] This is, this has been with me for 17 [63:36] years, this piece is... [63:37] This is potassium salt. [63:40] Potash, oh. [63:42] Wow. [63:43] Don't break that hand, it might get [63:45] infected if it breaks. [63:47] Oh. [63:48] What is this thing actually used for? [63:50] It's for fertilizer. [63:51] Oh, it's used to make fertilizer? [63:52] Used to make fertilizer. [63:53] Oh. How did you think of carrying such [63:55] a heavy load? Isn't it very dangerous [63:57] inside? Let's go. [63:58] Yes, it's very dangerous, but getting [63:59] in once isn't easy. It all requires [64:01] applications; they don't just let [64:03] anyone in. [64:03] Oh. [64:04] I just wanted to pick up whatever I [64:05] could while I was there. [64:07] But that increases the risk. [64:09] Yes, that’s for sure. During my 31 [64:11] days in Lop Nur, this was the only [64:13] water I found that I could drink, and [64:15] it was salty. [64:16] Salty, salty water. [64:18] Where was it? Was it a small lake? Or [64:20] what? [64:20] It was a small lake. It’s marked here [64:22] as "Sweet Water Well." Ah, I see this [64:26] here. Source of the Yangtze River, wow, [64:28] this is significant. [64:30] This is water from my hometown river. [64:32] Oh, Hulan River water. What’s that [64:34] novel called? [64:34] Hulan River. [64:35] River. [64:37] Uh, these are some food items. [64:42] And on the road, there were some other [64:44] odds and ends, just a bunch of junk, [64:46] really. I was just feeling a bit [64:49] curious. [64:49] You are a very thoughtful person. [64:51] Not really. He’s quite creative; he [64:53] designed this to be his own path. [64:55] Yes, exactly. [64:56] The key is that this is precious; not [64:58] just anyone could bring this back. [65:02] And I made a banner while I was on the [65:04] road. [65:07] Oh, on July 13, 2001, I arrived in [65:10] Zhongdian, Yunnan. [65:13] Is it called Shangri-La now? [65:14] Shangri-La. [65:16] And in 2008, the 29th Summer Olympic [65:18] Games were held. When Samaranch made [65:21] the announcement in Moscow, I was [65:23] watching on one of those old, bulky [65:25] black-and-white TVs, and I was so [65:27] excited. In a regular person's home. I [65:30] stayed up all night making a flag. I [65:32] had nothing to do with the Olympics, I [65:34] just wanted to be a part of it. [65:35] I set out in '99, thinking if I [65:37] finished, it would be in '08. [65:39] Oh. [65:40] So it happened to be in '08. [65:43] Then I bought a piece of fabric and [65:45] went to a print shop. I measured it [65:48] with a ruler. A perfect square. 2.08 [65:51] meters, representing the year 2008. [65:54] Oh. [65:54] This fabric. [65:55] Look at how thoughtful he is. [65:58] You, hold this side. [66:00] I'll hold this side. [66:03] Teacher Xiao. [66:04] This is... [66:05] Is this a postmark? [66:06] Yes. [66:10] Oh. Are these all from post offices? [66:12] Yes, every time I reached a post office [66:15] . [66:15] Take a close look. Yunnan, July 13, [66:19] 2001. [66:20] Yes. [66:23] That was the day the Olympics bid was [66:24] won. [66:26] Oh, so you went to post offices in [66:28] every place you passed through, [66:29] and had letters sent. [66:32] Then, on August 8, 2008, at the Bird's [66:35] Nest. [66:36] Oh, August 8th. [66:38] Opening ceremony. August 24th, closing [66:41] ceremony. [66:41] Oh. [66:42] There are 2008 stamps on this. China. [66:47] Our country, every province, [66:50] autonomous region, and municipality, [66:53] all covered. [66:54] I see the whole of China here, look at [66:56] this, oh my. [66:58] I have to mention, I kept folding and [67:00] unfolding it, opening and closing it [67:02] over 2,000 times. [67:04] Because 2,008 stamps were hard to get; [67:06] some places wouldn't even stamp it. [67:07] Sichuan, even went to Taiwan, huh? [67:10] Yes, Sichuan, An... [67:12] Shanxi, Datong. [67:13] Ah, this is Shandong, Liaocheng. This [67:17] is Shandong, Ping...Look here, Beijing, [67:20] Miyun. [67:21] Oh, this is Jilin. [67:23] Ah, Jilin, Helong. And Fuzhou. Guangxi, [67:27] Pingnan. Oh my, this is truly... [67:30] The southernmost, northernmost, [67:31] easternmost, westernmost, highest, and [67:33] lowest. [67:33] This is like performance art, the [67:34] coldest and the hottest. [67:35] The coldest and the hottest. [67:37] This is performance art, isn't it? This [67:39] , this piece. No, this is for real. If [67:41] you haven't been there, you wouldn't [67:43] have this. [67:44] Right? So impressive, so impressive. [67:47] Shocking, truly shocking. [67:48] Yes, yes, yes. I suggest the Olympic [67:52] Museum should collect this. This is so [67:56] meaningful, oh my. It... [67:59] And the top line is written in [68:00] traditional characters. I was wondering [68:02] at first, why use traditional [68:04] characters? It turns out he also [68:05] included Taiwan. [68:06] Yes. Which one is this? [68:08] A national flag from ten years ago. [68:11] Oh, the national flag, oh. [68:15] It's a mission of patriotism. [68:18] Xu Xiake Memorial Hall. [68:21] Ah. [68:21] Yes. [68:23] Was he influenced by [68:25] Xu Xiake, and that's where the ambition [68:27] for the Xisha Islands came from? [68:28] Ah, Xisha, the Xisha Islands. [68:31] To get to Xisha, you have to take a [68:32] helicopter or a boat. [68:34] Yu Chunshun. [68:35] His autograph from back then, how come [68:37] this one is from Karamay, Xinjiang? [68:39] Yes, it was in Xinjiang. [68:40] Was it a gift from Yu Chunshun to you? [68:42] No, it was a gift from a friend. [68:44] Ah, Yu Chunshun walked across all of [68:47] China alone. [68:49] These two people are your... [68:50] Your sources of inspiration. [68:52] Yes, yes, yes, they were my spiritual [68:54] guides. [68:56] This was the night I encountered the [68:57] wolf pack. I left this note for my [69:02] sister, because, well, the night I [69:04] burned my clothes to stay warm, I [69:06] thought I was done for. " [69:09] Sister, I'm surrounded by wolves in the [69:11] Ali no-man's land. If something happens [69:13] to me, please have someone organize the [69:15] records of my travels that I've been [69:17] mailing home over the years. Your [69:19] younger brother, Dian Sheng, July 10, [69:22] 2002." [69:23] 12th. [69:24] December 12th, you see, this, this is [69:26] something tangible. Back then, with [69:29] packs of wolves outside, right? Being [69:32] alone... [69:33] Mr. Lei, can you feel fear? Or rather, [69:36] what is that kind of fear like? [69:38] It's indescribable. This is what I did [69:40] before setting off—I marked down [69:42] exactly where all 56 ethnic groups in [69:44] China are distributed. [69:45] The homework I did. [69:46] The homework I did. Oh my. [69:48] This is the certificate of introduction [69:50] my hometown gave me before I left. [69:52] Issued by the county public security [69:53] bureau's local police station. [69:55] An introduction line? [69:56] A letter of introduction. [69:57] Ah. [69:58] Look at this, this is great, a private [70:00] introduction. "Liu Leidensheng, a [70:02] villager from Tuanshan in our [70:03] jurisdiction, is traveling alone to [70:05] your area to carry out the matter of [70:07] walking across the entire country." I [70:09] guess the police also thought this was [70:10] quite interesting. "To carry out the [70:14] matter of walking across the country, [70:15] our agencies will provide support. This [70:18] person has behaved well in our area, [70:21] please...receive, no, please receive... [70:23] "" [70:24] Receive," yeah, please receive and [70:26] assist. [70:26] Who is it signed by at the bottom? [70:28] Mengjia Township Police Station. [70:29] Mengjia Township Police Station. [70:31] This is what I made when I prepared [70:33] this certificate. " [70:33] Citizen Lei Leidensheng from Tuanshan [70:35] Village, Mengjia Township, Huliang [70:36] County, is undertaking a cross-century [70:38] walking tour of all of China, including [70:39] Taiwan and the 55 ethnic minorities. We [70:41] hope all ethnic administrative agencies [70:43] and people from all walks of life will [70:45] provide great support and assistance."" [70:46] Only this serves as proof." Did this [70:48] actually work? Did you take it to every [70:50] administrative district? [70:51] It didn't always work. This is my [70:53] journey through the 56 ethnic groups. I [70:55] carried this piece of paper with me for [70:57] over nine years. Mm. [70:59] Oh my. One for each of the 56 ethnic [71:01] groups. [71:02] 56 ethnic groups. Not a single one [71:04] missing. [71:04] All collected. [71:05] All complete. [71:06] Oh my. [71:07] It's amazing. I specifically asked them [71:11] to give me a name and a stamp because [71:13] as I reached each ethnic region, I [71:15] wanted to collect them all. [71:18] Oh, wow. Lahu ethnic group. Oh, this is [71:24] a man who left a mark with every single [71:27] step. [71:31] Every one of these steps is different [71:33] from ours. Walking across, walking [71:36] across. Oh. [71:38] This is... [71:39] Wuqia County. [71:40] Yes. [71:40] And it's written in their own script. [71:42] Ethnic script. [71:43] Ah. [71:43] Yes. " [71:46] Motherland, with your strong willpower, [71:48] you have crossed into the westernmost [71:50] Wuqia County on the Pamir Plateau. Your [71:55] great feat makes you a representative [71:57] of the descendants of Yan and Huang, [71:59] and an example for us to learn from. [72:04] Office of the People's Government, [72:06] Morida Daur Autonomous Banner, Xinjiang [72:08] ..." Hehe, this is enough to prove it's [72:10] all real; it's not just bragging. [72:13] Naxi ethnic group. [72:14] Ah, the Naxi people, their pictographic [72:17] characters. This is a sheep. [72:19] Right? [72:20] Keep it safe and sound. [72:23] Mr. Lei, welcome to the Nujiang Grand [72:25] Canyon in Yunnan, East. My goodness. [72:29] Mr. Lei. The Tibetan people welcome you [72:33] to beautiful and magical Shangri-La. [72:36] Tashi Delek! The Gannan Tibetan people [72:38] welcome you. The 520,000 people of all [72:40] ethnic groups in Longshan County, [72:43] Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous [72:45] Prefecture, welcome you and wish you [72:47] success in achieving your great ideals [72:49] soon. Look at how much the people along [72:51] the way support you. [72:52] Everywhere you go, they find it [72:54] incredible, don't they? At first, they [72:55] can't quite believe it. Yes, yes. [72:58] Look, this is from Wuchuan. [73:01] The 300,000 people of Wuchuan [73:02] Autonomous County wish you a smooth [73:04] journey and success in your career. How [73:06] moving, isn't it? [73:09] The hospitable and generous Jingpo [73:10] people welcome you. Fake. [73:13] Are there exactly 56 of these? [73:16] Is someone even drawing pictures for [73:18] you? [73:19] This one is also from the Biru County [73:21] People's Government in the Tibet [73:22] Autonomous Region. Mm. [73:24] Mr. Lei, is this a painting someone [73:26] made for you? [73:26] Yes, they all have things written on [73:28] them. My goodness, such beautiful [73:31] Chinese characters, right? [73:33] Exactly. [73:34] Great, great. [73:35] Okay, wait, let's put it away in a bit. [73:37] Right, oh, I like this rock. Can I put [73:39] this rock on our table? [73:40] Yes, you can. [73:41] Come on. Yeah.