## Detailed walkthrough
### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=0s) Searching for the Wild Man in Shennongjia and Escaping Wild Boars
Civilian explorer Lei Diansheng recounts his journey into the deep primeval forests of Shennongjia, drawn by longstanding legends of the Shennongjia "wild man" (Yeren). Having trekked through numerous untamed wildernesses across China, he packed his gear with photographic film, flatbreads, vegetarian crackers, and preserved vegetables, wrapping his camera in multiple layers of plastic bags against the relentless mist and rain in hopes of snapping a historic photograph. After roughly ten days of scouring the misty mountains without finding a trace, his food supplies ran out, and he realized he had begun to resemble a wild creature himself. “I searched for ten days or so, but I didn't see a single hair of a wild man; I ended up looking like one myself,” Lei recalls as the panel laughs at the irony.
Facing starvation, Lei panicked and began navigating his way out using only a map and a compass. He explains that his internal sense of direction had been honed over a decade of expeditions, allowing him to navigate out of blinding deserts with visibility under ten meters without ever losing his way. While hiking out with his heavy pack, the scent of his remaining rations attracted a sounder of wild boars that gave chase. Lei scrambled up a tree to escape the charging animals. Carrying a pack of firecrackers wrapped in plastic, he lit them and dropped them into the herd below; the terrified boars scattered in panic and crashed violently into trees, creating a chaotic and memorable spectacle.
- Equipment carried: Rolls of camera film, flatbreads, vegetarian crackers, preserved vegetables, compass, paper map, and waterproofed firecrackers.
- Field conditions: Continuous rain, dense fog, and zero sightings of the creature over ten days.
---
[01:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=90s) Survival in the Wilderness: Ant Poison Tests and Raw Snake Meat
With his food completely exhausted, Lei resorted to foraging leaves, roots, and plant stems. To avoid lethal poisoning from unfamiliar flora, he devised a rudimentary field toxicity test: sorting plant species into separate piles, mashing them to extract the sap, and forcing large forest ants to ingest the liquid. If the ants died, he discarded the pile; if they remained energetic, he consumed the plants. The method proved imperfect—trace toxins still caused his hands to swell up until his fingers resembled carrots.
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: Primitive Plant Toxicity Testing Flow
accDescr: Lei Diansheng's improvised method for testing wild plant toxicity using ants in Shennongjia.
A["Forage unknown wild plants"] --> B["Separate by species & crush sap"]
B --> C["Feed extracted sap to large forest ants"]
C -->|"Ants die"| D["Discard plant pile as toxic"]
C -->|"Ants remain active"| E["Consume roots/leaves"]
E --> F["Survive with minor swelling from trace toxins"]
```
After three days of subsisting solely on leaves, Lei caught a non-venomous grass snake nearly two meters long. Though he felt a twinge of guilt as an environmentalist, hunger overtook him. He severed the snake's head and skinned the body, but heavy rainfall left no dry kindling to start a fire. Unwilling to waste vital calories, he sliced the raw snake with a blade, dusted the meat with salt, and chewed it raw. “I used a blade to peel these snakes, sprinkled a little salt on them, and when I put them in my mouth, their nerves were still active, twitching against my tongue—that’s how I ate them,” Lei explains, noting that within thirty minutes his physical strength returned.
- Foraging strategy: Tested plant juices against ants; experienced swollen hands from mild plant toxins.
- Raw sustenance: Consumed an approximately two-meter grass snake raw with salt due to damp firewood; physical stamina rebounded within half an hour.
---
[02:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=158s) Stumbling into a Mountain Village and the Joy of Expired Food
Lei continued trekking for nearly two days, following faint trails worn into the mountains. He notes an essential bushcraft rule: hikers must distinguish human paths from animal trails left by bears or boars by checking for snags of animal fur on brush, warning that following an animal run can lead straight into a bear's den. Eventually, he broke through the forest into an isolated mountain hamlet. His wild, disheveled appearance terrified the local women and elderly villagers, who scooped up their children and bolted their doors against him.
Desperate to purchase food, Lei located a tiny shop marked by a makeshift cardboard sign reading "Shop." The shopkeeper instinctively grabbed a serving tray to strike the intruder, shouting at him to leave until Lei produced his official identification and expedition photographs to prove he was a stranded hiker. Lei bought beer, canned tomato sauce, pickled vegetables, and instant noodles, eagerly eating the noodles before they were fully steeped. Inspecting the labels, he discovered three of the four items had expired, some by more than two years. Despite the dust and expiration dates, Lei describes the meal as unimaginably delicious, reflecting that true happiness can be found either through self-indulgence or through enduring extreme hardship, where simple rations taste superior to lobster.
- Bushcraft detail: Identifying bear and boar trails via snagged fur on branches to avoid walking into animal dens.
- Village encounter: Villagers fled indoors; shopkeeper brandished a tray until Lei showed his ID card and photos.
- Food bought: Instant noodles, canned tomato sauce, pickled vegetables, and beer; three out of four items were expired by up to two years.
---
[04:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=275s) The Robinson Crusoe Spirit and Choosing an Extreme Path
The conversation turns to the philosophical significance of Lei's survival experience. Panelist Xu Zidong compares Lei's journey to Daniel Defoe's *Robinson Crusoe* and the wilderness ethos of Jack London, observing how a person stripped of modern social safety nets survives in raw nature. Xu notes that while Lei carried civilized tools like a camera and compass, he deliberately exposed himself to an unsocialized, resource-barren environment where the ultimate challenge was testing his own resolve.
Xu observes that Lei’s extreme trek reflects a universal human drive: after reaching a certain point in life, individuals dedicate themselves entirely to a chosen pursuit, whether climbing mountains, conducting academic research, producing media, or operating a factory. “Whether you are doing research, mountain climbing, making programs, or running a factory, you pour your entire life into it,” Xu remarks, noting that while outsiders inevitably question what such dedication is for, the underlying spirit of self-determination remains identical across different walks of life.
---
[06:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=381s) From Resentment to Spiritual Practice: Zhenfeng Pagoda and Letting Go
Lei reflects on how the grueling decade-long journey transformed his inner life. Dismissing any notions of lofty virtue, he shares that he had only three years of primary school education, viewing his solitary trek as an autodidactic quest to experience the world and harden his character. In his youth, relatives and neighbors looked down on him during times of bitter poverty when he could not afford cornmeal porridge or a single corn bun. His initial motivation for walking across China was driven by deep resentment and a desire to prove his worth to those who had disparaged him.
However, the physical and mental trials of the road gradually stripped away his bitterness. Lei describes a pivotal transition: “I realized that going from discomfort to endurance, and from acceptance to enjoyment, is a journey of life.” Along his route, he sought out historic pagodas and visited spiritual teachers. At Yingjiang Temple on the north bank of the Yangtze River in Anqing, Anhui, he visited the historic Zhenfeng Pagoda and spoke with the abbot, who offered a concise teaching: “Child, walking is a form of practice.” Two years later, while trekking through Tibet, Lei learned the abbot had passed away; he bowed three times toward Anqing in gratitude. He realized that practice (*xiuxing*) is not restricted to formal religion or physical walking, but applies to studying, working, and cultivating one's inner conduct, allowing him to permanently surrender his childhood grudges.
- Personal background: Completed only three years of primary schooling; began his ten-year trek partially fueled by resentment toward relatives who despised his poverty.
- Philosophical framework: Evolving from discomfort to endurance, and from acceptance to enjoyment (从不适应到适应，从适应到享受).
- Spiritual encounter: Visited Yingjiang Temple (迎江寺) and Zhenfeng Pagoda (振风塔) in Anqing, Anhui; received the teaching “Child, walking is a form of practice” (走路即是修行).
---
[08:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=524s) Life After the Ten-Year Walk: 2,000 Lectures and Inner Peace
Addressing whether he felt an existential void after concluding his decade-long walk across China in 2008, Lei firmly states that he never felt empty. Over the following seventeen years, he has delivered more than 2,000 public talks and lectures without soliciting a single invitation himself. He has shared his experiences across every conceivable institution, from community groups to remote border defense garrisons.
Lei confesses that despite his extensive survival experience, facing large crowds often made him nervous and at a loss for words when met with applause. To steady his nerves before speaking to young soldiers at frontier military outposts, he developed a personal ritual of drinking three to four ounces of Chinese liquor (*baijiu*) to induce a slight buzz, using the alcohol's courage to speak candidly from the heart. The hosts remark that giving thousands of speeches and continually facing audiences may have required even greater endurance than crossing the wilderness on foot.
- Post-expedition activities: Over 2,000 invited lectures delivered across 17 years (post-2008).
- Speaking ritual: Drinking 3–4 ounces (approx. 150–200 ml) of liquor prior to presentations to overcome stage fright and speak openly.
[09:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=580s) Cosmic Perspective and the Art of Letting Go
The discussion begins with reflecting on how solitary endurance transforms a person, comparing the experience of being alone in the vast desert to standing inside a giant cauldron. Viewed against the sheer scale of the cosmos, human concerns shrink to the size of an ant. Lei Diansheng notes that when you are alone navigating virgin forests, deserts, or snow-capped peaks, your frame of reference changes completely, rendering mundane conflicts trivial. He explains that life without hardship is not a real life, and encountering petty individuals is simply evidence that one has actually attempted to accomplish something. His philosophy centers on perseverance without bitterness: letting go of trivial irritations without abandoning dreams, and relaxing without falling into self-indulgence. Drawing on ancient thought, Lei cites Laozi to emphasize personal resilience: “Mastering others is strength, mastering oneself is true power.”
When the hosts bring up the extreme risks of trekking across China—joking that even Laozi chose to ride an ox through Hangu Pass rather than walk—Lei counters that danger exists in every trade, recounting his earlier years working on construction sites where fatal accidents occurred regularly. He explains that taking risks is not reckless when backed by rigorous preparation; his journey across dangerous terrains was preceded by ten years of meticulous training, which is why he deliberately avoided crossing unforgiving deserts during lethal midsummer months like June.
- **Perspective on triviality**: Experiencing boundless emptiness strips away daily anxieties, proving that most everyday grievances do not matter in the long run.
- **Ten years of preparation**: Turning life-threatening scenarios into safety was not mere luck, but a synthesis of ecology, physics, and decade-long survival prep.
```mermaid
flowchart LR
accTitle: "Shift in Perspective Through Solitude"
accDescr: "Flowchart tracking the mental transition from urban trivialities to a cosmic worldview through solitary endurance."
subgraph Urban["Urban Baseline"]
A["Daily Grievances & Stress"]
end
subgraph Wilderness["Wilderness Immersion"]
B["Extreme Solitude (Deserts & Peaks)"]
C["Stripping Down to Survival"]
end
subgraph Mindset["Transformed Perspective"]
D["Cosmic Scale: Humans as Ants"]
E["Letting Go of Trivials"]
F["Steadfast Commitment to Dreams"]
end
A --> B
B --> C
C --> D
D --> E
E --> F
```
---
[13:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=809s) Solitude, Asceticism, and the Internal Dialogue
The panel turns to the question of what happens to the human psyche when stripped of all social contact. A panelist brings up the film *The Way*, in which an estranged father walks the Camino de Santiago carrying the ashes of his deceased son. What starts as a duty to fulfill his son's bucket list ultimately turns into an inward pilgrimage for the father himself, echoing Lei Diansheng's motto: “Setting out is arriving.” In raw nature, self-deception becomes impossible because every single step directly confronts survival and truth.
This psychological ordeal mirrors the solitary asceticism practiced by early desert hermits. Far from immediately producing tranquil enlightenment, deep isolation initially releases a deluge of suppressed negativity, frustration, and anxiety. Lei agrees that entering an uninhabited wasteland often triggers extreme internal turbulence, irritability, and even instability. Only after this emotional storm clears does a profound stillness emerge. Once basic physical needs like food and water are secured, observing the sunrise, gazing at snow mountains, or interacting gently with a passing desert beetle or snake fosters genuine, unshakeable inner serenity.
- **Film parallel (*The Way*)**: Walking a grueling trail shifts from an external destination to an internal reckoning where one learns to be entirely honest with oneself.
- **The two stages of isolation**: Initial panic and irritability give way to deep peace and quiet contentment once survival needs are settled.
---
[15:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=944s) Poetry Under Bridges and Fulfilling a Life Vow
Surviving the wilderness transforms a person from a mere cog in a machine into someone attuned to romance and poetry. Lei describes resting under highway bridges or out in the wild, composing impromptu rhyming verses in his notebook to capture fleeting impressions—lines he notes he could never produce amidst the noise of city life. The host points out an irony: Lei carried candles and spare batteries through the harshest environments but often could not bear to consume them, choosing instead to sit with the dark and write down what he felt.
The panelists contrast this life of walking the edge of life and death with standard corporate achievement. From an existential viewpoint—especially considering the eventual demise of the Earth—climbing the corporate ladder to become a CEO and risking one’s life walking across the wilderness can both be seen as either equally meaningful or equally meaningless. Yet Lei’s choice was driven by fulfilling a personal vow, turning his life into an authentic, lived experience rather than a passive existence.
---
[17:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=1020s) Over 2,000 Lectures and Disapproval of 'Lying Flat'
Upon completing his ten-year trek, Lei found an unexpected calling as a public speaker. He has delivered more than 2,000 lectures across China to audiences ranging from intimate groups of a few dozen to stadiums packed with over 20,000 people. At his peak, he spoke up to four times a day, returning to his hotel so drained that his hands trembled while eating. While some grassroots venues offered no speaker fees beyond purchasing a few copies of his books, large corporate events paid generously—sometimes exceeding what he once earned in an entire year of hard labor.
Beyond the income, Lei found purpose in directly reaching students, parents, and educators, estimating that at his peak he reached 70,000 to 80,000 people daily. He felt that if his story could steer even seven or eight lost, anxious, or directionless young people away from giving up, the exhaustion was entirely worth it. When asked about youth apathy and the popular trend of "lying flat" (*tang ping*), Lei expresses strong opposition: “I strongly disapprove of people 'lying flat,' regardless of their age.” He argues that inactivity is deceptive; while it feels relaxing for a brief moment, prolonged stagnation ultimately turns painful: “Honestly, 'lying flat' is actually more uncomfortable than going out and struggling.”
- **Lecture outreach**: Delivered over 2,000 talks, with single audiences reaching up to 20,000 attendees and up to four sessions a day.
- **Peak daily reach**: Influenced 70,000 to 80,000 people a day across schools, universities, and corporate halls.
- **Stance on "lying flat"**: Believes that taking on friction and striving for personal dreams every single day is psychologically far less painful than inertia.
---
[18:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=1115s) The Grounding Energy Field of Wild Nature
The discussion concludes with the healing power of the natural world for modern youth, who spend most of their lives trapped inside virtual environments and high-stress metropolitan centers. Lei emphasizes that untouched environments—deserts, lakes, forests, grasslands, and the Gobi—possess a tangible energy field that grounds the human spirit.
He notes that taking a few friends camping in the wild for several days, provided basic safety measures and supplies are prepared, completely resets a person's mental state. In major cities, daily life is consumed by scheming, corporate rivalry, and deception. In contrast, entering a raw, primitive habitat strips those artificial tensions away, leaving people revitalized, grounded, and clear-headed upon their return.
```mermaid
flowchart LR
accTitle: 徒步遇袭与反击逻辑
accDescr: 雷殿生在野外遭遇歹徒伏击后的应急反应流程
A["遭遇歹徒伏击<br/>（4名持刀木棍匪徒）"] --> B["果断卸下沉重行囊<br/>（弃包反向冲锋）"]
B --> C["亮出防身刀刃<br/>（月光下寒光闪烁）"]
C --> D["披散过米长发<br/>（形同'野人'出没）"]
D --> E["歹徒惊骇逃窜<br/>（四人瞬间被吓退）"]
```
[47:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=2848s) Ten Years of Collecting Artifacts, From Yangguan Passes to Drung Bamboo Pipes
Throughout his decade-long solo trek across China, Lei Diansheng developed an obsessive habit of collecting objects from every region he traversed. While long-distance explorers typically prioritize traveling light, Lei found that the farther he walked, the more items he gathered. Whenever he accumulated several dozen catties of specimens, artifacts, and cultural items, he would head to a local post office, wrap them up securely, and mail them back home. Because commercial couriers did not exist at the time, every parcel had to pass through the postal system. Over the course of ten years, this persistent accumulation amounted to more than two tons of material, which Lei later showcased in two or three dedicated exhibitions in Beijing.
Among the items brought to the table is an ordinary-looking thermometer Lei carried during his travels, alongside an official tourist travel document obtained at Yangguan before entering the desolate expanse of Lop Nur. The document, complete with stamps from a small local post office, sparks amusement among the hosts, who note the historical irony: while ancient travelers like Tang Xuanzang had to sneak past border checkpoints without travel permits, modern adventurers receive stamped passes commemorating their departure west of the pass.
Lei also presents a small bamboo pipe made and used by the Drung (Dulong) people. Carved from a bamboo joint and root, the pipe bears a striking resemblance to the head of an arhat (Luohan) statue. Admiring its earthy craftsmanship and natural contours, the hosts joke about wanting to hang such an expressive piece directly on the wall as art.
- **Total artifacts collected**: Over two tons of material accumulated over ten years, encompassing books, ethnic relics, animal bones, and mineral fossils.
- **Logistics**: Mailed home in batches of several dozen catties via local postal branches across China.
- **Exhibitions**: Curated into two to three exhibitions in Beijing after the journey concluded.
- **Featured items**: A personal travel thermometer, an official pass stamped at Yangguan, and a Drung ethnic bamboo smoking pipe carved from a bamboo root.
---
[49:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=2962s) Conquering Rongbuk Glacier on a Budget and Surviving on Flies and Snakes
Lei shares the spartan reality of his high-altitude mountaineering gear. Before attempting Mount Everest, he outfitted himself entirely on Barkhor Street in Lhasa, purchasing his complete clothing set for just 90 yuan and a pair of trekking shoes for 40 yuan. Dressed in this inexpensive gear, he pushed upwards to the Rongbuk Glacier at nearly 7,000 meters above sea level, shooting several rolls of film documenting the landscape and setting up timer shots of himself against the ice. Lei reflects on the criticism his journey occasionally drew: his declared dual mission of "environmentalism and ethnic exploration"—aiming to visit all 56 recognized ethnic groups while documenting ecological conditions—led some detractors to dismiss his efforts as pretentious. Yet his commitment was concrete. Disturbed by the non-biodegradable waste left behind by climbing expeditions, Lei hauled a large snakeskin sack filled with trash all the way from 7,000 meters down to the 5,200-meter Everest Base Camp.
While navigating the uneven ground around Everest, Lei also salvaged marine fossils, including prehistoric ammonites. As the hosts observe, finding ancient marine creatures thousands of meters up the Himalayas provides visceral evidence of the Himalayan orogeny, literally embodying the Chinese idiom *cang hai sang tian* (the transformation of vast seas into mulberry fields).
The conversation shifts from high altitudes to survival rations in extreme terrain. Lei presents a pack of high-energy compressed biscuits from his Lop Nur crossing, explaining that consuming just two small squares provides enough energy to sustain a person for an entire day. When asked whether he ever endured starvation on the road, Lei explains that his longest stretch without conventional, edible food lasted five days. During such survival crises, he was forced to turn to whatever living creatures he could capture.
> “Flies taste better than mice.” — Lei Diansheng
Lei explains that while mice carry a pungent, earthy musk that makes them difficult to choke down, flies have almost no distinct taste; when chewed, they are sticky, moist, and provide vital nutrients. His practical appraisal of eating raw snakes, mice, ants, lizards, and flies prompts the hosts to laugh that "Flies Taste Better Than Mice" would make an unforgettable episode title.
---
[52:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=3124s) Relics of Lop Nur: Camel Dung, Lake Snails, Mica, and the Ever-Changing Sands
```mermaid
flowchart LR
accTitle: Progression of Lop Nur Geological and Surface Terrain
accDescr: Diagram showing how surface terrain transitions from coarse grit to fine powder across Lop Nur.
subgraph TerrainTransitions["Lop Nur Terrain Progression"]
A["Black Gobi<br/>Coarse grit & dark stone"] --> B["Yardang Formations<br/>Transitional wind-cut sand"]
B --> C["Loulan Region<br/>Ultra-fine, flour-like golden dust"]
end
```
Lei brings out several small bowls containing specimens collected from the heart of Lop Nur. Among them is a dried pellet of wild camel dung, which Lei points out is an exceptionally rare find given that wild camels are far scarcer and more endangered than giant pandas. He also presents tiny freshwater snail shells gathered from lakebed deposits. Although Lop Nur's central waters completely vanished around 1972, these fragile shells preserve the memory of an expansive aquatic ecosystem. Additionally, Lei displays a rusted bullet casing and ammunition clip retrieved from the structural ruins of a military test site—remnants of Lop Nur’s history as China's nuclear testing ground—as well as an ancient pottery shard collected from the ruins of Loulan.
Passing around a large, shimmering sheet of mica, the hosts express admiration for Lei’s extensive geological literacy, asking how an explorer without formal academic training knew what to identify and preserve. Lei explains that he spent a full decade before his journey educating himself and physically preparing for every condition he might face.
Lei then illustrates the shifting geology of Lop Nur by presenting sand samples collected along his route:
- **Ganshan and Black Gobi coarse grit**: Heavy, dark, and gloomy sand blown down from the mountains, creating a bleak, shadowed desert floor.
- **Transitional Yardang sands**: Intermediate sands eroded and reshaped by continuous winds hammering against Yardang clay formations.
- **Loulan fine golden dust**: Sand ground down into an ultra-fine powder with the delicate texture of wheat flour or powdered milk.
Allowing the golden Loulan sand to slip slowly between his fingers, Dou Wentao observes poetic beauty in the tactile experience:
> “Look at it flowing through my fingers; this is what it means to see time passing, isn't it?” — Dou Wentao
---
[55:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=3324s) The "Big Ear" Ventifact, Hazardous Potash Crusts, and Precious Waters
Lei showcases one of his most striking geological discoveries: a naturally wind-carved stone, or ventifact, collected in southern Lop Nur. Satellite photography famously reveals that Lop Nur resembles a massive human ear—often called the "Great Ear of the Earth"—and this particular stone mirrors that exact anatomical curve. Sculpted entirely by harsh desert winds, the stone resembles a deliberate piece of fine art.
Next, Lei shows a jagged, white-bottomed slab of salt crust that he has kept for 17 years. Dislodged from an exploratory trench dug by mineral survey machinery, the crust consists primarily of potassium salts (potash), essential for commercial agricultural fertilizer. Lei warns the hosts to handle the rough mineral carefully, noting that cuts caused by jagged salt crusts in Lop Nur become severely infected with ease. When asked why he risked carrying such heavy weight out of an already life-threatening wasteland, Lei explains his mindset:
> “Going in is very dangerous, but getting in isn't easy.” — Lei Diansheng
Because entering Lop Nur requires strict official permits and carries tremendous danger, Lei resolved to bring back every meaningful geological and historical record he could carry, even if the added load compounded his physical exhaustion.
Finally, the discussion turns to Lei's collection of water samples gathered across China. Over his 31-day crossing of Lop Nur, the only surface water he encountered was saline and barely drinkable, including a sample labeled "Sweet Water Well" that was anything but sweet. In stark contrast to these bitter desert brines, Lei displays vials filled with water from his home river—the Hulan River in Heilongjiang, made famous by Xiao Hong's classic novel *Tales of Hulan River*—as well as pristine water collected directly from the headwaters of the Yangtze River in Zaduo County, Qinghai.
[57:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=3468s) Packing Gear and Wilderness Camping Essentials
Examining items collected from Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, the conversation turns to the logistics of how Lei Diansheng managed to transport his gear and findings across thousands of miles on foot. When asked whether he carried everything in his backpack, Lei explains his system: he carried accumulated specimens and items until reaching inhabited towns or county seats with a post office, where he boxed them up and mailed them home. The hosts marvel at how his entire living kit—including his tent, fly, stakes, and sleeping mat—could pack down into such a compact bag.
Lei unpacks the survival kit piece by piece, revealing a felt rug, an ultra-thin tent fly, and stakes used to pitch his shelter. When a host playfully suggests pitching the tent right there in the studio so all four of them can sit inside and chat, Lei laughs and points out that they would never fit in his minimalist, expedition-style shelter. He highlights his versatile ground mat, explaining that its insulation is so effective that it can be laid out directly over frozen ground. Lei jokingly refers to himself as a mere "collector of junk" picking up odds and ends along the road out of curiosity, but the hosts view it quite differently. They admire his deliberate vision, observing that he thoughtfully curated his journey and preserved irreplaceable artifacts that no ordinary traveler could ever replicate.
- Lei Diansheng on sending gathered materials home: “Once I carry them out and find a post office or a place with people, in the towns or counties, I pack them in a box and mail them back.”
- Lei Diansheng on his insulating ground pad: “I can even use this mat on ice, no problem. Just spread it out.”
- Host on the rarity of his collection: “The key is this is too precious, not just anyone could bring this back.”
[59:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=3570s) The 2008 Olympic Banner and the 10-Year Journey
Lei presents a special piece of commemorative fabric he created while on the road, recounting a pivotal moment during his trek through southwestern China. On July 13, 2001, his expedition brought him to Zhongdian in Yunnan Province (now known as Shangri-La). Staying in a local family's home, he gathered around an old black-and-white CRT television to watch the live broadcast from Moscow, where IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch announced that Beijing had won the host bid for the 29th Summer Olympic Games.
Overwhelmed with excitement in that remote household, Lei felt an immediate, deeply personal connection to the announcement. Having set out on his solo walking journey across China in 1998, his projected completion date was 2008—perfectly paralleling the decade leading up to the Beijing Games. That very night, he bought a length of cloth and fashioned an Olympic banner overnight, fusing his grueling ten-year personal trek with the nation's ten-year countdown to the Games.
- Lei Diansheng on making the commemorative banner: “Then I made a banner overnight; actually, I had nothing to do with the Olympics, I just wanted to be associated with it.”
- Lei Diansheng on his walking timeline: “I set off in '98, and if I finished walking, it would be '08.”
> [06:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=381s) I realized that going from discomfort to endurance, and from acceptance to enjoyment, is a journey of life. — Lei Diansheng
> [17:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a2BN5At18w&t=1020s) Honestly, 'lying flat' is actually more uncomfortable than going out and struggling. — Lei Diansheng
[25:49] 雷殿生: 做的时候很向往，做完了之后啥也不是，最大的收获是这个过程。
[39:37] 雷殿生: 我觉得如果死在路上，那就死在路上，必须尽最大努力去实现一个梦想。
[6:21] Lei Diansheng: I realized that going from discomfort to endurance, and from acceptance to enjoyment, is a journey of life.
[17:00] Lei Diansheng: Honestly, 'lying flat' is actually more uncomfortable than going out and struggling.
[31:18] 雷殿生: 只要我松懈一两次，我可能就不想走，我也走不下去。
Original transcript
[0:00] Let me tell you about my story of going
[0:02] to Shennongjia.
[0:04] >> There have always been legends about
[0:06] wild men in Shennongjia. As a civilian
[0:08] explorer, I've trekked through all
[0:09] sorts of primeval forests, so I decided
[0:11] to go to Shennongjia too. I went to
[0:13] Shennongjia with plenty of film, some
[0:15] flatbreads, vegetarian crackers, and a
[0:17] bit of preserved vegetables, and then I
[0:19] went inside to search. It was raining,
[0:21] and it was misty and damp inside. I
[0:24] used several layers of plastic bags to
[0:26] protect my camera, hoping to capture a
[0:28] picture if I saw a wild man, which
[0:30] would be quite an achievement. I
[0:32] searched for ten days or so, but I
[0:34] didn't see a single hair of a wild man;
[0:36] I ended up looking like one myself.
[0:38] >> I ran out of food.
[0:39] >> My appearance just now was quite
[0:41] similar, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[0:43] >> Once I had nothing to eat, I started to
[0:46] panic. Then I began to head out,
[0:48] relying on a compass at the time. It
[0:51] was just a compass and a map to get a
[0:53] rough sense of direction. My sense of
[0:56] direction is actually decent. Even if
[0:58] you dropped me anywhere, even in a
[1:00] desert with less than ten meters of
[1:02] visibility, I could basically find my
[1:04] way out. I’ve never gotten lost in
[1:06] ten years. As I was walking, carrying
[1:08] that heavy pack, I was even chased by a
[1:11] group of wild boars. I had some food on
[1:13] me, and since the smell was strong, I
[1:15] climbed a tree when the boars came. I
[1:19] had a pack of firecrackers wrapped in
[1:21] plastic; I lit them and threw them down
[1:23] . When the boars ran and crashed into
[1:26] the trees, I thought the scene was just
[1:28] spectacular. Later, when I was starving
[1:31] in there, I ate leaves. I also ate some
[1:34] plant roots and stems. I didn't
[1:37] recognize some of them, so I’d pile
[1:39] up each variety separately, squeeze out
[1:41] the juice, and force some big ants to
[1:44] eat it. If they died after a while, I
[1:47] wouldn't eat that pile, but if they
[1:49] stayed lively, I’d eat it. But it
[1:51] wasn't accurate. After I ate some, my
[1:53] hands swelled up like carrots. It
[1:55] wasn't that they were poisonous, just
[1:57] that they contained trace amounts of
[1:58] toxins.
[1:59] >> After eating leaves for three days, I
[2:01] finally caught a snake. Actually, as a
[2:03] self-proclaimed civilian
[2:04] environmentalist, catching a snake felt
[2:07] a bit wrong. Of course, it wasn't a
[2:09] protected species; it was just a grass
[2:11] snake. I was too hungry. After catching
[2:13] it, I chopped off the head; it was
[2:15] nearly two meters long. I skinned it,
[2:17] carried it, and looked for firewood,
[2:19] but it was raining and there was no dry
[2:21] wood to be found. Later on, I realized
[2:23] I couldn't just throw it away. I used a
[2:25] blade to peel these snakes, sprinkled a
[2:27] little salt on them, and when I put
[2:29] them in my mouth, their nerves were
[2:31] still active, twitching against my
[2:32] tongue—that’s how I ate them.
[2:34] Indeed, after eating them, within less
[2:36] than half an hour, I felt my strength
[2:38] returning.
[2:38] >> I kept walking for nearly two more days
[2:40] until I found a small village, spotting
[2:43] a trail worn down by people looking for
[2:45] things in the mountains. Some paths
[2:47] aren't made by humans; there are bear
[2:49] trails, boar trails, and paths made by
[2:52] other wild animals. You can tell by the
[2:54] fur they scrape off; if it looks wrong,
[2:56] you shouldn't follow that path.
[2:57] >> Yeah.
[2:58] >> So.
[2:59] >> I ended up walking right into a bear's
[3:01] den.
[3:02] >> I eventually found a small village, a
[3:04] tiny place deep in the mountains; when
[3:06] I entered, I saw women and elderly
[3:07] people chatting while tending to their
[3:09] children. As soon as they saw me, they
[3:12] all ran inside; I just wanted to buy
[3:14] some food, having finally found a
[3:16] village. They wouldn't open their doors
[3:17] when I knocked, but later I found a
[3:19] small shop, with three messy characters
[3:20] scrawled on a piece of cardboard. The
[3:22] word "Shop" was hanging right there by
[3:24] the door. I went in, and as soon as I
[3:25] stepped inside, a man grabbed a tray
[3:27] and tried to hit me. "Who are you? Get
[3:29] out now!" I said, "I'm just a customer.
[3:31] ""What? What kind of customer are you?"
[3:34] I said, "I have my ID; I went into the
[3:35] mountains to look for wildmen but
[3:37] didn't find them, and I haven't eaten
[3:38] in days, so I need to buy some food." I
[3:40] showed him my ID and my photos. After
[3:43] he looked at them, I paid for some
[3:45] things; everything was covered in dust,
[3:47] but I bought a bottle of beer to treat
[3:49] myself, along with canned tomato sauce.
[3:51] >> And some pickled vegetables and instant
[3:53] noodles. After soaking them, they
[3:55] smelled so good; I started eating
[3:57] before they were even fully cooked.
[3:59] While eating, I thought about the
[4:00] journey, about the mountains; even
[4:02] though I didn't find the wildmen, I
[4:04] made it out, and that's what really
[4:06] mattered. It tasted so good that I even
[4:08] let out a burp on purpose, you know? I
[4:10] looked closely at the labels of those
[4:13] four items, and three of them were
[4:15] expired, some for over two years, but
[4:17] it was still delicious—you know, that
[4:19] sense of happiness in that moment. So
[4:21] there is one way to find happiness,
[4:23] which is self-indulgence, but there’s
[4:25] another way—to experience hardship
[4:27] first. I know this from personal
[4:28] experience: if you starve yourself for
[4:30] a few days, anything you eat will taste
[4:33] delicious, even better than lobster.
[4:35] >> It still comes down to basic human
[4:37] nature. In reality, your story is like
[4:40] Robinson Crusoe. Your whole story is
[4:45] about how a person from modern society
[4:47] survives when placed in a natural
[4:49] environment with no social conditions.
[4:53] >> Do you think it’s a bit like Jack
[4:55] London, whom you admire?
[4:57] >> Yes, yes, it’s the same path.
[5:00] >> It’s all Robinson Crusoe-style,
[5:01] though it involves civilized elements;
[5:03] after all, you brought a camera, didn't
[5:05] you? You have scientific principles and
[5:08] a compass. But essentially, you
[5:12] intentionally placed yourself in an
[5:13] unsocialized environment where there
[5:15] were no people and no supplies. At that
[5:19] moment, the greatest test was the test
[5:21] of yourself. You also inspire others;
[5:27] you could start a school in the future,
[5:29] where people come to learn basic safety
[5:31] guidelines for trekking, but your core
[5:33] message is that we are all connected
[5:34] and we are all like this. After a
[5:41] certain age, you choose your own path
[5:43] and dedicate yourself to it. Whether
[5:48] you are doing research, mountain
[5:49] climbing, making programs, or running a
[5:51] factory, you pour your entire life into
[5:53] it.
[5:56] >> Right.
[5:57] >> People around you might ask, "For what?
[5:59] " You've opened a factory, your shows
[6:02] have traffic, you've published ten
[6:04] books—what is it all for? For nothing
[6:06] in particular. It’s just that we
[6:09] never know when we decided that this is
[6:10] what we wanted to do. You chose the
[6:15] most extreme path to do this, but the
[6:16] spirit is the same for all of us.
[6:21] >> Do you think you’ve changed after
[6:23] this journey?
[6:25] >> I have changed. First of all, following
[6:27] what Mr. Xu just said, I’m actually
[6:30] not that high-minded. I only finished
[6:32] about three years of primary school;
[6:34] these past ten years have been like a
[6:36] solitary education for me. I went out
[6:39] alone to see the world, to temper
[6:41] myself, and to challenge myself.
[6:43] >> Traveling ten thousand miles is just
[6:45] like reading ten thousand books—
[6:47] exactly. And when I was young,
[6:49] relatives and friends, especially
[6:51] relatives, looked down on me and
[6:52] despised me, even back when I couldn't
[6:54] afford cornmeal porridge or even a
[6:56] single corn bun. I wanted to use this
[7:00] first decade to prove something. To be
[7:03] honest, I had hated them, but before I
[7:05] even finished the journey, I let go—I
[7:07] let it all go. I feel life shouldn’t
[7:10] be such a struggle. I realized that
[7:14] going from discomfort to endurance, and
[7:16] from acceptance to enjoyment, is a
[7:18] journey of life.
[7:20] >> A learning process.
[7:21] >> From discomfort to endurance, from
[7:23] acceptance to enjoyment. This is a path
[7:25] of spiritual practice. On the road, I
[7:29] also met and visited various masters
[7:31] and mentors in different fields. In
[7:33] particular, I remember most clearly
[7:36] arriving in Anqing, Anhui, at a place
[7:38] called Yingjiang Temple. Yingjiang
[7:40] Temple is on the north bank of the
[7:41] Yangtze River. I have a great love for
[7:43] ancient pagodas—almost all the
[7:45] ancient pagodas in China, I have found
[7:47] most of them.
[7:48] >> Oh, that’s wonderful, I love them too
[7:50] .
[7:50] >> Inside there is a pagoda called the
[7:52] Zhenfeng Pagoda. I went just to see it,
[7:54] and the abbot introduced me to the
[7:56] master. We talked for a long time, and
[7:58] he finally gave me a piece of advice: "
[8:00] Child, walking is a form of practice."
[8:02] I didn't dare to contradict him then; I
[8:05] thought, he is a venerable monk. I am
[8:07] just a common person, so whatever he
[8:09] said, it was right. Two years later,
[8:12] when I reached Tibet, I heard he had
[8:14] passed away. Hearing the news, I bowed
[8:16] deeply three times toward Anqing. I
[8:19] suddenly realized that life is a
[8:21] practice everywhere. If walking is
[8:23] practice, isn't studying a practice?
[8:25] Isn't working in a factory a practice?
[8:27] Everything is a practice. What kind of
[8:29] practice? Practicing your behavior and
[8:31] conduct, cultivating your heart.
[8:32] >> It’s not external, it’s internal
[8:34] cultivation. Cultivating yourself. So
[8:36] at that moment, I let go of all those
[8:38] old grudges.
[8:39] >> So you have now become, for example, a
[8:41] more optimistic person, or someone who
[8:43] is less calculating?
[8:44] >> Very optimistic.
[8:46] >> After you completed those 10 years,
[8:48] look, from 2008 onwards. But do you
[8:51] feel empty? And in these years you
[8:53] aren't doing anything big?
[8:54] >> I don’t, I don't feel empty. In these
[8:57] 17 years, except for during the
[8:59] pandemic—I still had some activities
[9:01] then—I’ve given over 2,000 talks,
[9:03] and not a single one was initiated by
[9:05] me. To put it bluntly, aside from
[9:08] crematoriums and mental hospitals,
[9:10] I’ve been everywhere. You name it,
[9:13] I’ve been there to share. When I get
[9:15] a round of applause, I don't know what
[9:17] to say, I can't find the words, and
[9:19] then...When I go to the frontier troops
[9:21] , aren't they all young people? I even
[9:22] have a little ritual: I drink three or
[9:24] four ounces of liquor before I go up. I
[9:26] get myself a bit tipsy and start
[9:27] thinking. Alcohol gives you courage, so
[9:29] I just speak my mind, figuring I’ve
[9:31] had enough to drink.
[9:32] >> I think those 2,000-plus performances
[9:34] were even harder than traveling across
[9:35] the country. So, how do you put it?
[9:38] Suffering, enduring...
[9:40] >> Accepting.
[9:41] >> Accepting, enjoying—it all comes in a
[9:43] series. It turns out that after doing
[9:45] both, this guy really trained himself.
[9:48] >> It’s truly a complete transformation.
[9:50] >> I think this is a treasure. Like you
[9:52] just mentioned, being alone in the
[9:54] desert, feeling like you're inside a
[9:55] giant cauldron.
[9:56] >> Just like an ant, I’d say.
[9:58] >> Exactly. When you look at things on a
[10:00] cosmic scale, your frame of reference
[10:02] changes completely. Whenever I reflect
[10:04] on that, I realize nothing in daily
[10:06] life is really a big deal.
[10:08] >> Right. Have you ever experienced the
[10:09] feeling of your self disappearing? Just
[10:11] feeling like you’ve ceased to exist.
[10:13] There’s only this vast, wide-open,
[10:16] uninhabited space.
[10:17] >> When I was on the road, traveling
[10:19] through virgin forests, deserts, or
[10:21] snowy mountains, I was all alone.
[10:23] >> Hmm. How does that change a person?
[10:27] With such a grand perspective, you
[10:29] realize that a human life is smaller
[10:30] than an ant compared to the Earth and
[10:32] the universe. What is there to fuss
[10:36] about? So I often...Tell my friends:
[10:38] everyone faces hardships. If you
[10:41] haven't had a hard time in your life,
[10:43] you're not really living. If you’ve
[10:46] never encountered a petty person, it
[10:47] just proves you’ve never accomplished
[10:49] anything. You haven't done anything,
[10:51] that's why there are no petty people.
[10:53] So, I say learn to let go, but don't
[10:55] give up. Don't give up on your dreams,
[10:58] but let go of all those trivial matters
[10:59] .
[11:00] >> But don't give up.
[11:00] >> And learn to relax, but don't indulge
[11:02] yourself.
[11:03] >> And also...
[11:04] >> Learn to relax but not indulge; this
[11:05] guy has 2,000-plus stage performances
[11:07] to prove it.
[11:08] >> If you keep the strings of your life
[11:10] pulled too tight, you’re just making
[11:12] things hard on yourself. It’s
[11:13] unnecessary. Let go of those small
[11:15] constraints. Time is the best medicine.
[11:18] Truly, the things you’re struggling
[11:20] with today—three or two years later,
[11:22] when you look back, you’ll wonder why
[11:24] you were like that. This is just like
[11:25] how many people who have had near-death
[11:27] experiences...
[11:28] >> Sometimes reach this level of
[11:30] realization. Wouldn't you say the whole
[11:32] journey is a form of learning in itself
[11:34] ? How much has it helped you advance in
[11:36] terms of knowledge?
[11:38] >> Knowledge-wise, perhaps not too much,
[11:40] but certainly, my perspective has
[11:42] broadened with age.
[11:45] >> Besides, you get to meet many respected
[11:47] people you can learn from, including
[11:49] the three of you here.
[11:51] >> The experience and knowledge you three
[11:53] have, I can’t catch up to that. But I
[11:56] often say one thing, though it might
[11:58] not necessarily be right. In one's life
[12:00] , one must play to one's strengths and
[12:02] avoid one's weaknesses.
[12:03] >> A family, a team, or a company must
[12:06] always play to their strengths. If you
[12:08] told me to be a scientist, I couldn't
[12:10] do it if my life depended on it; being
[12:13] an astronaut is also something I
[12:14] couldn't achieve. So, just take one
[12:17] thing—something you love—and do it
[12:19] to the absolute limit. As for what
[12:21] it’s like or what you gain from it,
[12:23] don't complain or blame others; just do
[12:25] it. Life is all about the experience.
[12:28] Therefore, I really love this quote
[12:30] from Laozi: "Knowing others is wisdom,
[12:32] knowing oneself is enlightenment.""
[12:34] Mastering others is strength, mastering
[12:36] oneself is true power." When you aren't
[12:38] strong, your parents won't be there to
[12:40] rely on for a lifetime; you have to be
[12:42] strong yourself, right?
[12:44] >> But it seems Laozi didn't hike across
[12:45] the whole country; didn't he ride an ox
[12:47] ?
[12:49] >> He rode an ox through the Hangu Pass,
[12:51] right?
[12:51] >> I especially,
[12:53] >> Should it be considered a high-risk
[12:54] activity?
[12:56] >> I’ve worked in construction, and
[12:58] problems happen there every year. Every
[13:00] industry carries the risk of losing
[13:02] lives. But tell me, in this life, who
[13:05] knows when we might be gone? It’s
[13:07] precisely because I cherish my life
[13:09] that I spent ten years preparing,
[13:11] trying my best to keep myself safe. Why
[13:14] didn't I cross [the desert] in June? I
[13:17] wasn't confident about it either, yeah.
[13:19] >> Always turning danger into safety isn't
[13:21] entirely just luck; it involves a
[13:23] synthesis of physics, ecology, and
[13:25] various other forms of knowledge. So,
[13:27] where does his curiosity lie?
[13:29] >> My curiosity lies in: when you are in a
[13:31] place where there is absolutely no one,
[13:33] what kind of dialogue happens between
[13:34] the self and the self?
[13:36] >> See, we are all interested in this
[13:37] question. Yes, there is a movie called*
[13:39] The Way*, about the pilgrimage route.
[13:42] The father is a bit like you; he really
[13:44] didn't understand his child, who loved
[13:46] hiking. Then, his son unfortunately
[13:49] passed away in an accident. Later, he
[13:53] found a bucket list his son had made,
[13:55] stating, "I must finish this path." He
[13:57] carried his son’s ashes and set out
[13:59] on the journey. At the beginning, he
[14:01] was just fulfilling a wish. He felt, "I
[14:04] have to do this for my son, I probably
[14:06] didn't understand him enough." But
[14:07] throughout the process, he eventually
[14:09] discovered that he was actually walking
[14:11] it for himself. It’s like what Mr.
[14:12] Lei said just now: "Setting out is
[14:14] arriving." It’s not about having to
[14:16] reach that specific destination. During
[14:18] this process, because you are facing
[14:20] nature, you might be exceptionally
[14:21] honest. Whether it's a matter of life
[14:24] or death, you cannot lie to yourself
[14:26] about whether you will take that next
[14:27] step. You are constantly probing the
[14:30] deepest parts of your heart, leaving no
[14:32] noise, no distracting thoughts. I
[14:35] realized this is like the solitary
[14:37] asceticism practiced by many European
[14:39] monks in the desert. We once thought
[14:43] this would bring peace, but the reality
[14:45] shows you must go through a spiritual
[14:47] process. During this process, you might
[14:50] even curse the heavens and the earth; a
[14:52] lot of negativity may surface. When a
[14:55] person is truly in a desolate place,
[14:57] completely alone, their initial
[14:59] reaction is often a release of inner
[15:01] turmoil—you see, they become
[15:02] irritable, anxious, and may even
[15:04] experience mental instability. Then
[15:10] there is another state: when you have
[15:12] enough to eat and drink, you admire the
[15:14] snow-capped mountains, the sunrise and
[15:16] sunset, or perhaps play with a small
[15:18] insect or snake you find, talking to
[15:20] them. That feeling is one of pure inner
[15:26] serenity. I think a person shouldn't
[15:30] always live in a chaotic environment;
[15:32] occasionally, you need to let yourself
[15:34] settle down. That’s why I often write
[15:38] impromptu rhymes on the road; you see,
[15:40] I could never write like this in the
[15:42] city.
[15:44] >> It has a poetic quality.
[15:46] >> There's a bit of rhythm and rhyme to it
[15:48] . I basically write them all down in my
[15:52] notebook, sitting under a bridge, just
[15:54] capturing the moment and the feeling.
[15:57] So,
[15:57] >> An experience is just an experience. Oh
[15:59] , look, it's right here.
[16:01] >> Yes, yes, yes, this.
[16:03] >> This is a masterpiece, this is truly a
[16:04] sight for the world to behold.
[16:06] >> I’m carrying candles and batteries,
[16:07] but I can’t bear to use them.
[16:09] >> At times like this, a person is no
[16:11] longer a machine.
[16:12] >> Right.
[16:13] >> They gain poetic spirit, romance, and
[16:15] many other things that might seem "
[16:17] useless." Or, if you look at it from
[16:22] the perspective of the eventual demise
[16:24] of the Earth, if you say a person
[16:25] walking across the country risking
[16:27] their life is meaningless, then what is
[16:29] the meaning of choosing a job and
[16:31] working your way up to be a CEO?
[16:35] Compared to each other, both are
[16:36] meaningful, or both are meaningless.
[16:39] >> Working an office job has its own
[16:41] hardships, but your path, right, it’s
[16:44] about crossing the line between life
[16:46] and death; it’s really about making a
[16:48] vow, mm.
[16:51] >> But fulfilling that vow seems to be a
[16:53] way to spend this life.
[16:57] >> Living it out.
[16:58] >> Not living in vain.
[16:59] >> Right.
[17:00] >> I never expected that after finishing
[17:02] my journey, people would ask me to come
[17:04] and share my story. I've given over
[17:06] 2,000 talks, ranging from audiences of
[17:08] a few dozen to over 20,000 at a time.
[17:10] The most I ever did was four talks in a
[17:12] single day; I was exhausted. At night,
[17:14] I felt completely drained. Even when
[17:16] eating or drinking, I’d have this
[17:18] trembling sensation. Eventually, I had
[17:21] to ask myself. Oh, maybe I should cut
[17:23] back on a couple of talks. Some places
[17:25] really don't pay anything, they just
[17:27] buy some books; others pay a lot, like
[17:29] big corporations—they pay so much
[17:31] that it's more than I used to make in
[17:33] an entire year. Wow, to think that I—
[17:35] with my background—could achieve so
[17:38] much, get paid, and at the same time
[17:40] reach parents, children, teachers, and
[17:42] especially students. I’d say at my
[17:45] peak, I was influencing 70,000 to
[17:47] 80,000 people a day. Even if just seven
[17:49] or eight kids could have their current
[17:51] worries, anxiety, sense of being
[17:53] trapped, lack of direction, or lack of
[17:55] goals changed by my experience. Or even
[17:57] their tendency to "lie flat"—if I
[17:58] could influence just those few kids,
[18:00] I’d know it was worth it. What is
[18:02] your attitude toward children who
[18:03] choose to "lie flat"?
[18:05] >> I strongly disapprove of people "lying
[18:07] flat," regardless of their age. As long
[18:11] as you’re alive for one more day, we
[18:13] should—to put it nicely—strive for
[18:16] your own ideals or dreams for that one
[18:18] day. Honestly, "lying flat" is actually
[18:22] more uncomfortable than going out and
[18:24] struggling. Lying flat becomes painful;
[18:27] it might feel comfortable for a short
[18:30] time, but after a while, you're better
[18:32] off doing something.
[18:35] >> Kids these days definitely live more in
[18:37] a virtual world, so isn't it true that
[18:39] pure nature itself, without needing to
[18:41] say much, can give them a
[18:43] >> completely different feeling?
[18:44] >> Regarding this mother's concern, I
[18:46] personally believe nature has energy;
[18:48] it has an energy field.
[18:50] >> Mm. Whether it's the mountains, lakes,
[18:52] deserts, grasslands, forests, or the
[18:54] Gobi, if you go there with a few
[18:56] friends or a group—provided you’ve
[18:59] made safety preparations—and just set
[19:01] up a tent and camp for a few days with
[19:03] some food. When you come back, you are
[19:05] completely different. That spirit,
[19:08] it’s truly grounded.
[19:09] >> Mm.
[19:11] >> Especially in big cities, all the
[19:13] scheming, power struggles, and
[19:14] deception are everywhere, but once
[19:16] you're out there, all of that is gone.
[19:21] When a person enters a state of life
[19:23] similar to that of primitive humans, do
[19:25] you feel that some of your senses or
[19:27] instincts
[19:29] >> Mm, become sharper, or that feeling of
[19:31] survival—the instinct to make a
[19:33] living—is restored?
[19:35] >> Especially in the virgin forest, aside
[19:37] from those few ferocious beasts,
[19:39] because your mind is sharper than
[19:41] theirs,
[19:42] >> if they attack you, you know how to
[19:44] handle them. Besides that, you can just
[19:47] enjoy nature there, especially in the
[19:49] morning—the scent of grass, the
[19:50] fragrance of flowers, the birds
[19:52] chirping—you might not even be up yet
[19:54] , and the birds are already calling you
[19:56] out.
[19:57] >> You watch them, taking a moment to
[19:59] appreciate that comfort, that inner
[20:01] peace.
[20:01] >> No matter how twisted or conflicted you
[20:03] feel, everything just settles down
[20:05] slowly.
[20:06] >> Nature is still so beautiful. You
[20:09] become one with the world.
[20:11] >> Yes, you are immersed in that nature.
[20:16] >> Then you feel like there's no one else,
[20:18] that I am the King of the World,
[20:20] awesome, thank you, fantastic, that’s
[20:22] why you’re called Thor. Right, Thor,
[20:28] Thor, Thor.
[20:30] >> 2001 matches.
[20:31] >> 2011 matches; this must be your most
[20:34] brilliant one. Thank you, thank you, we
[20:36] still have to keep going. I feel like
[20:39] he has completed a self-strengthening
[20:41] process, in terms of all kinds of
[20:43] capabilities. But he is also lucky,
[20:45] there is a lot of luck involved, but
[20:47] luck can't stay with you for ten years.
[20:50] Planning is important, life is about
[20:52] planning.
[20:54] >> Many people I know in the West are
[20:55] actually following this path, just not
[20:57] as extremely.
[20:59] >> They don't, for example, they never buy
[21:01] luxury brands. They spend all day
[21:03] traveling the world to participate in
[21:05] marathons.
[21:05] >> Hmm.
[21:06] >> They spend all their money on marathons
[21:08] in different places. They go to a hotel
[21:11] for the weekend—I've heard about it,
[21:13] I haven't been, don't ask me to go—to
[21:15] see the stars. You drive up to a
[21:19] mountain top where there's an outdoor
[21:21] hot spring, and nothing else. Of course
[21:27] , the basic living facilities are
[21:28] expensive and you have to book these
[21:30] tent hotels long in advance. They just
[21:34] ...
[21:35] >> Just to see the stars.
[21:37] >> They feel like the stars in the sky are
[21:39] very close, just like you said, and all
[21:41] around are the sounds of insects and
[21:43] birds. It’s mimicry. Because this is
[21:48] a fear behind bars; it protects your
[21:50] basic survival but keeps you on edge.
[21:58] >> They run from the tent to the hot
[22:00] spring pool, almost completely naked
[22:02] along the way.
[22:05] >> Right, back to nature. I saw you on
[22:07] that science show.
[22:09] >> Tough, really. In Canada, for an hour
[22:12] or two, I’d take those big green beer
[22:14] bottles and smash twenty of them on my
[22:16] own head.
[22:17] >> Wow, that's a ruthless person.
[22:20] >> Look at this: after I was bitten by a
[22:22] venomous snake in the virgin forest, I
[22:24] tied both ends with rope and dug the
[22:26] flesh out myself.
[22:28] >> Oh, it's this part right here.
[22:30] >> Dig the flesh out. If I didn't do that,
[22:32] I'd be dead in three or four hours.
[22:33] >> Wouldn't you pass out from the pain? No
[22:35] , I'm fine.
[22:36] >> Carving out flesh, wow.
[22:37] >> My God.
[22:38] >> This is like Guan Yu scraping poison
[22:40] from his bone.
[22:41] >> Then I undo the rope and head back on
[22:42] the road. Many who wanted to learn from
[22:45] me ended up quitting.
[22:47] >> But I have no choice.
[22:48] >> So, I'm afraid of dying. I thought, I
[22:51] thought, would you rather endure a
[22:53] moment of pain, or fail to clear the
[22:54] venom and die right there?
[22:56] >> You cut that flesh out, I feel like I'd
[22:58] pass out from the pain.
[22:59] >> No, it wasn't that serious. I tied it
[23:02] off with a rope, and then I just...I
[23:04] didn't look. I had disinfectant, see?
[23:07] >> I carried white liquor (baijiu) with me
[23:09] . For ten years, I haven't been without
[23:12] baijiu. I've been to every major
[23:15] distillery in China.
[23:17] >> And they even gifted me their best
[23:18] liquor.
[23:19] >> You see, baijiu can disinfect on the
[23:21] road.
[23:21] >> Right, and it can help you temporarily
[23:23] forget the pain of the wound.
[23:25] >> Were you afraid at the time that if you
[23:27] died there, no one would know?
[23:29] >> No one would know.
[23:30] >> And there's the financial issue; how
[23:31] did you make a living on the road?
[23:32] Financially, I lived off the money I
[23:34] saved for 20 years.
[23:35] >> From age 15 to 35, I saved money for 20
[23:38] years. I even earned nearly 70,000 yuan
[23:40] on the road. I bought raw jade in Hotan
[23:43] and collected cordyceps. I didn't buy
[23:47] in bulk; I just bought from families
[23:49] who had a little they couldn't sell.
[23:52] >> After I collected it, I carried it to
[23:54] the city.
[23:55] >> So, did you spend all your money after
[23:56] those ten years of traveling?
[23:59] >> Not enough, but later, some speaking
[24:01] engagements brought in some earnings.
[24:05] >> So, what do you mainly live on now?
[24:07] >> I lead groups of entrepreneurs or
[24:09] teenagers on educational expeditions.
[24:11] >> Right.
[24:11] >> Plus, I have some royalty income.
[24:14] >> Mhm.
[24:15] >> Oh, from the books you wrote.
[24:17] >> I've written quite a few books.
[24:18] >> Written several books.
[24:19] >> Like "Ten Years"... "
[24:21] >> Ten Years of Trekking" and "31 Days
[24:23] Crossing Lop Nur." But at this age,
[24:25] it's impossible to go on those kinds of
[24:27] adventurous trips anymore. Two years
[24:30] ago, I went to the Altun Mountains
[24:32] no-man's land, carrying 22 pounds of
[24:35] live-streaming equipment—the kind
[24:37] that connects directly to satellites.
[24:39] >> Oh.
[24:40] >> Then I did a live broadcast with CCTV
[24:43] News, with 27 million people online.
[24:45] >> Mhm.
[24:49] >> And I filmed a lot of wild yaks, wild
[24:51] donkeys, foxes, and wolves.
[24:57] >> Do you still have similar trekking
[24:59] plans to head out?
[25:00] >> But I rarely go out alone anymore.
[25:02] >> Is it addictive? For instance...
[25:04] >> Right? If you don't go for a long time,
[25:06] you start wanting to head back to the
[25:07] mountains.
[25:07] >> Sleeping outdoors at night keeps you
[25:09] grounded to the earth.
[25:10] >> Mm.
[25:11] >> Find a place with a good environment.
[25:12] In a tent, everything tastes delicious,
[25:14] and you sleep well. Some people always
[25:16] complain about insomnia, and I tell
[25:18] them, "Follow me for a week; if you
[25:19] can't sleep,""I'll...how much money do
[25:21] you want? I'll bet against you, that's
[25:24] fine."
[25:24] >> I have insomnia.
[25:26] >> Follow me.
[25:27] >> Train.
[25:27] >> Follow me. Right?
[25:31] >> We’ll definitely need this guy. "
[25:33] >> Wentao Walks the World" Season 5
[25:35] Premiere.
[25:36] >> Let's follow him and go outside to have
[25:38] this, this, this...
[25:40] >> When there are wolves, I'll push Wentao
[25:41] out.
[25:42] >> Along the way, bears, bears, bears,
[25:44] shrimps.
[25:45] >> I can play the bear, and I'll even be
[25:47] the eggs.
[25:49] >> Actually, what does it mean to "walk it
[25:51] all"?
[25:51] >> I visited every provincial capital,
[25:53] prefecture-level city, all 56 ethnic
[25:55] groups, all the famous mountains,
[25:57] rivers, and historical sites, from the
[25:59] source of the Yangtze to the sea, the
[26:01] source of the Yellow River to the sea,
[26:03] and the Great Wall from Jiayuguan to
[26:05] Shanhaiguan. Then, most of the border
[26:07] lines and the coastline. There were
[26:09] 2,600 counties and districts at the
[26:11] time, and I walked two-thirds of them.
[26:14] Over 1,600 of them. There are over
[26:17] 5,000 townships; if there's nothing
[26:19] special or no historical sites, just go
[26:22] through one. Don't go in circles, just
[26:24] pass through. How can someone break
[26:26] your record? Like, will someone
[26:28] challenge it in the future?
[26:29] >> I don't know, and I haven't thought
[26:31] about it that much.
[26:32] >> For example, I walked 81,000 kilometers
[26:34] in 10 years; perhaps someone will
[26:36] appear in the future.
[26:37] >> In 12 years, they walk 100,000
[26:39] kilometers, taking even more detailed
[26:41] routes. That might be considered
[26:43] setting a new record. I don't have much
[26:46] expectation for that. When I achieve
[26:49] something, I look forward to it, but
[26:51] once it's done, it's nothing. The
[26:54] greatest gain is the experience itself.
[26:57] >> Is it true you can't take a ride at all
[26:59] ? It has to be entirely on foot.
[27:01] >> In border regions, if there's only one
[27:03] road and you have to return, we take a
[27:05] different path. If the road is repeated
[27:07] , I'll catch a ride if I can. If
[27:09] there's no ride, I'll just cross a
[27:11] mountain pass. I only took a plane to
[27:13] Taiwan, a boat to the Xisha Islands, a
[27:15] boat to Hainan Island, and a boat from
[27:17] Hainan to Beihai. Other than that, it
[27:19] was all walking. I’m telling you,
[27:21] even you scholars cheat and fake things
[27:24] , right? He is someone who sets his own
[27:26] standards. As for what counts as hiking
[27:28] , he has principles: if a segment is
[27:31] repeated, you take a ride, or if you're
[27:33] going to Taiwan, you fly. But besides
[27:35] that...
[27:36] >> Don't worry.
[27:37] >> Can you actually be lazy? I'll just
[27:40] tell them a story. Let me tell a story.
[27:43] >> Haven't set off yet.
[27:45] >> When I came out of the Qaidam Basin, it
[27:47] was the first time I felt death; you
[27:48] couldn't even find a blade of grass to
[27:50] eat.
[27:52] >> Sigh.
[27:52] >> Later on, I managed to collect a little
[27:55] bit, and I drank some. The thing is,
[27:57] there was almost nothing, I was just
[27:58] too thirsty. Later, I used a blade to
[28:01] cut two small slits in my finger,
[28:03] bandaged it up, disinfected it with
[28:05] alcohol, and wrapped it with a bandage.
[28:08] I wondered if I was going to die in
[28:10] there. Finally, I found the highway and
[28:12] tried to flag down a car, but they
[28:13] wouldn't stop, so I stood right in the
[28:15] middle; I figured I’m a human, they
[28:17] can't just hit me. I held up my
[28:19] documents for them to see; after they
[28:20] stopped, they cursed at me and told me
[28:22] to get lost, asking why I was flagging
[28:24] them down. I said, "Sir, I'll give you
[28:26] money, just give me some water and food
[28:28] .""I can pay you more." He said, "We
[28:30] don't have much ourselves; if we run
[28:31] into trouble or the car breaks down, we
[28:33] won't even be able to save ourselves."
[28:35] I said, "Just drain a little water from
[28:36] the radiator," and in the end, he
[28:38] actually let me drink the water from
[28:39] the radiator. When I drank it, it made
[28:41] a gurgling sound; the color was a bit
[28:43] off, and it had a slight diesel taste.
[28:45] After I finished drinking, I was full.
[28:47] Finally, he got back in his car and
[28:48] asked, "Where, where are you going?" I
[28:50] said, "Heading towards Xining." He said
[28:52] , "You...you won't make it there even
[28:53] if you walk for 20 days." I said, "
[28:55] I’ve been walking for years, it’s
[28:57] fine, even 30 days is the same to me.""
[28:58] You...I...seeing you drink radiator
[29:00] water and looking at your documents, I
[29:01] can see you're really serious about
[29:03] this hiking expedition.""Get in my car,
[29:05] I'll take you to Xining, get you a room
[29:06] at a hostel, you can stay for two days,
[29:07] take a shower, wash your clothes, and
[29:09] then continue your walk." I said, "Sir,
[29:11] I am, I am walking across China, I
[29:12] won't ride in a car." He was almost
[29:14] stunned, "You’re even drinking
[29:15] radiator water, and you still won't
[29:16] ride in a car?""I swear to you, I won't
[29:18] tell anyone you hitched a ride." I said
[29:20] , "I'm sorry, I really won't ride in a
[29:22] car." Later, he threw some packs of
[29:23] biscuits from his car, a bottle of
[29:25] mineral water, plus those bottles of
[29:26] radiator water; that kept me alive for
[29:28] a few more days, and then he asked, "
[29:30] Are you really not getting in the car?"
[29:31] I’m really not getting in the car. He
[29:33] said, "I'm going to Xinjiang, I'll load
[29:34] up my cargo and rest for two days, then
[29:36] I'll drive to Lhasa, and if I see you
[29:37] on the road, I'll bring you some things
[29:39] ." As it turned out, a few days later I
[29:41] really did see him; he stopped the
[29:42] truck, this person is Jian Fang. I got
[29:44] out of the car so happy, carrying this
[29:46] plastic bag. It had a 1.25-liter bottle
[29:48] of cola, some apples, and a few packs
[29:50] of instant noodles. I opened the cola,
[29:52] holding the handlebars with one hand
[29:54] and the bottle in the other, and drank
[29:56] it all in one go. That was so
[29:57] satisfying.
[29:58] >> So satisfying.
[29:59] >> Burp, you know?
[30:01] >> With all that carbonation, what do you
[30:03] expect?
[30:03] >> Why couldn't I?
[30:05] >> I set these rules for myself.
[30:07] >> No one controls anything I do. It's
[30:10] like cheating on an exam; you might get
[30:12] caught, but with this, no one would
[30:14] ever know. Even world-class cyclists
[30:16] who won gold medals were later found to
[30:18] have cheated by secretly hopping on a
[30:20] car to cover part of the route.
[30:22] >> Three teachers, and there's another
[30:23] thing—you know the time I encountered
[30:25] the pack of wolves the day after I wore
[30:26] that set of clothes?
[30:27] >> I met the commander of the Southern
[30:28] Xinjiang Military District. Afterward,
[30:30] when I took out my documents, he saw
[30:31] them and said, "Oh my, you've been
[30:32] traveling for so many years," and gave
[30:34] me some food and drinks. Then he
[30:35] thought about it and said, "No, you
[30:37] should just take a ride." We were at
[30:38] the Southern Xinjiang Military District
[30:40] headquarters in Shule County, Kashgar.
[30:42] That's over 1,000 kilometers; you
[30:44] definitely couldn't walk it in a month.
[30:46] With snow-capped mountains over 5,000
[30:47] meters high, plus snowstorms, bears,
[30:49] and wolves, if you can make it across
[30:51] alive, it's a miracle. It took me over
[30:53] 40 days to reach the Southern Xinjiang
[30:55] Military District headquarters. They
[30:56] invited me to eat there again; this was
[30:58] also a big battle.
[30:59] >> That young soldier saluted me and said,
[31:01] "Our commander wants you to take a ride
[31:02] . Just get in the car. We are soldiers,
[31:04] we won't tell anyone that you took a
[31:06] ride for those 1,000-plus kilometers."
[31:08] I said, "I'm sorry, I won't take a ride
[31:09] ." I'm just that stubborn.
[31:11] >> You feel that if you took the ride,
[31:12] then...
[31:12] >> I would feel that I had broken my own
[31:14] rules. I'd feel it myself, so you see
[31:15] ...
[31:16] >> I can easily understand that.
[31:17] >> But in reality, no one is supervising
[31:19] you.
[31:19] >> Right.
[31:19] >> But the thing has already happened.
[31:21] >> On the road, people have offered me
[31:22] kittens in Taxkorgan, on the Pamir
[31:24] Plateau; they've offered me Tibetan
[31:26] mastiffs—I didn't take them—and
[31:27] offered me cats, but I didn't take
[31:29] those either. They offered me bicycles.
[31:31] >> A cat companion could be considered.
[31:32] >> They offered bicycles, and even
[31:34] motorcycles—second-hand motorcycles
[31:35] —saying, "I'll just give it to you."
[31:37] I turned them all down.
[31:38] >> Hmm.
[31:38] >> I said if you invite me to dinner, I
[31:40] can accept these things, but I choose
[31:41] not to.
[31:42] >> You see, setting standards,
[31:43] >> self-discipline, demanding things of
[31:45] yourself—what is this for?
[31:47] >> So I feel that if I slack off even a
[31:48] little, I might not make it.
[31:49] >> If I relax a few times, I might not
[31:51] want to continue, and I won't be able
[31:53] to go on. It's, it's a kind of devotion
[31:55] .
[31:55] >> That's philosophical.
[31:57] >> The journey is still done by walking,
[31:58] >> otherwise, there's no need to walk
[32:00] across all of China.
[32:01] >> Right.
[32:01] >> Or you could just muddle through it and
[32:02] call it a day.
[32:03] >> I mean, if you're only focused on the
[32:04] result, I don't think you can do this.
[32:06] >> Oh.
[32:06] >> Right? I must be doing it for the
[32:08] process. If I started from day one
[32:10] looking at the final result, I'd
[32:11] collapse. You couldn't keep going. Just
[32:13] do what's right in front of you, the
[32:15] task for today. I have a map for where
[32:17] I'll be tomorrow, showing roughly where
[32:19] I'll arrive, what the weather might be
[32:20] like, and the landscape; I have
[32:22] expectations. Because I've never been
[32:24] to this place, I wonder if I can
[32:25] discover some really interesting people
[32:27] and things.
[32:28] >> We are always forgiving ourselves.
[32:30] >> Are we alike in that regard? Every day
[32:32] we forgive ourselves today, and repent
[32:34] for yesterday tomorrow.
[32:35] >> Dou Wentao is also looking at his
[32:37] scripts and editing in the middle of
[32:38] the night.
[32:40] >> No one knows, right? We just torture
[32:42] ourselves.
[32:43] >> Only Zidong truly understands me.
[32:45] >> True.
[32:46] >> You suffer, and I suffer too.
[32:48] >> I suffer, you suffer—life is
[32:49] suffering, right? Teacher Lei Desheng,
[32:51] Teacher Lei Desheng.
[32:53] >> Teacher, teacher, teacher.
[32:54] >> Hello, hello, hello.
[32:57] >> Actually, people in our country should
[32:59] be quite familiar with him. He's
[33:02] basically a "Touching China" figure.
[33:05] He's the first one to walk across all
[33:07] of China—ten years, 81,000 kilometers
[33:10] , robbed 19 times.
[33:12] >> I said, let's introduce his equipment
[33:14] first. Is this the pack you carried
[33:16] while walking across the country?
[33:18] >> Yes, this is my regular backpack; if
[33:20] I'm in an uninhabited area, it doubles
[33:22] in weight.
[33:23] >> Oh.
[33:23] >> What do you mean by doubles?
[33:25] >> It just gets twice as heavy.
[33:26] >> Twice as heavy again. How heavy is this
[33:28] ?
[33:28] >> About 60 or 70 jin (30-35 kg).
[33:32] >> Hey, can you put it on? Let's have a
[33:35] look. This...
[33:37] >> I don't even know how you carry this.
[33:41] >> Oh my god.
[33:43] >> When I walk through uninhabited areas,
[33:45] it's twice as heavy as this, over 100
[33:47] jin (50+ kg). It's like carrying a
[33:48] person on your back, isn't it? Exactly.
[33:50] >> Ten years, over 80,000 kilometers,
[33:51] right?
[33:52] >> Over 80,000 kilometers.
[33:53] >> That's, what, walking around the Earth
[33:54] twice?
[33:55] >> Two laps and then some.
[33:56] >> Two laps and then some. You, you let us
[33:58] walk around the table first, let us see
[33:59] your heroic spirit. Oh my god.
[34:01] >> And you have to add that much more
[34:02] weight?
[34:03] >> That's right. That's over 100 jin, this
[34:05] is, this is...
[34:06] >> Oh my god.
[34:07] >> Wow.
[34:08] >> Hey, down there. Do either of you want
[34:11] to try?
[34:12] >> Let me try it.
[34:13] >> Alright, alright. Look at this
[34:15] daredevil, I just want to ask, are you
[34:17] happy now? Because he can go to
[34:19] Chernobyl. I didn't mean for you to try
[34:21] it, I was looking at you, Teacher Xu,
[34:23] from...
[34:24] >> This is too...wow, no way.
[34:26] >> Oh, you—you—you can't do it, you
[34:28] can't do it. I have to get up, I need
[34:32] to experience it. Come, help me put it
[34:35] on. Let me see if I can do it. God.
[34:38] >> You have to lean back.
[34:40] >> My eyes. Let me see.
[34:42] >> Oh my.
[34:43] >> Goodness.
[34:44] >> It's actually quite comfortable. It
[34:46] feels like someone is massaging my
[34:47] lower back.
[34:48] >> Walking to the Bird's Nest stadium like
[34:50] this.
[34:51] >> Hey, it really feels like someone is
[34:52] massaging my waist, but you won't be
[34:54] able to stand up straight after a while
[34:56] .
[34:57] >> No, why do I feel like...I look like a
[34:59] fool. I want to walk like this. Oh,
[35:01] really, you can only walk a few steps,
[35:04] just a few steps. Are there any tricks
[35:06] to carrying it like this? Do you need
[35:07] to stand up straight?
[35:08] >> You can't stand straight, you
[35:10] definitely have to lean forward.
[35:11] >> And what about the hands?
[35:13] >> Your hands should swing freely too.
[35:15] >> No, you have to give me a walking stick
[35:17] to lean on.
[35:17] >> I basically don't use one.
[35:19] >> I have to use one.
[35:20] >> You can use one if you want.
[35:21] >> Now.
[35:22] >> I'm old. Oh my.
[35:25] >> Why do you look a bit like Zhufu?
[35:28] >> Oh my god, let me see.
[35:34] >> I'm...I'm sensing it now, I'm sensing
[35:36] it.
[35:42] >> Asking about short videos, I feel like
[35:44] I could walk for about 15 minutes, but
[35:46] right now I'm struggling a bit. Your
[35:51] posture...
[35:51] >> No, I think you have good technique.
[35:53] How is this thing strapped on so tight?
[35:55] It's actually quite comfortable, yes.
[35:57] >> Why do you need to bring so much stuff?
[36:00] >> Because one person is like carrying an
[36:02] entire home.
[36:03] >> Oh.
[36:03] >> In here, there’s a tent, a sleeping
[36:05] bag, clothes, medicine, tools, books,
[36:07] and a tripod.
[36:07] >> You've already streamlined it as much
[36:09] as possible, right?
[36:10] >> Streamlined as much as possible.
[36:11] >> Can you open it up for us so we can see
[36:13] what's inside?
[36:13] >> Yeah, right?
[36:14] >> Sure.
[36:15] >> This is a small hat from the Maonan
[36:17] ethnic group, one of the 56 ethnic
[36:18] groups. Look at how fine this bamboo
[36:20] weave is. Beautiful, it’s like
[36:22] strands of hair.
[36:24] >> Put it on and let me see.
[36:28] >> Fun, so fun. I think it would look very
[36:31] beautiful on a young girl. Really like
[36:33] a young noble lady, hey, it looks good,
[36:35] it looks good. It looks good.
[36:37] >> Look at this, especially the inside,
[36:39] how fine it is, it feels like a feather
[36:41] , right?
[36:41] >> It would also look nice hung on the
[36:43] wall.
[36:43] >> I have a pot of hot water here.
[36:45] >> Yeah.
[36:45] >> It’s incredibly blissful, out in the
[36:47] uninhabited area, especially in winter.
[36:50] I broke these too. You see, I ran into
[36:53] highwaymen and had to fight them.
[36:56] >> You fought them?
[36:57] >> In which no-man's-land?
[36:58] >> It wasn't a no-man's-land.
[36:59] >> How could there be highwaymen in a
[37:01] no-man's-land?
[37:01] >> Yeah, how could there be thieves in
[37:03] such an area?
[37:03] >> Exactly.
[37:05] >> You have to ration your water, and this
[37:06] camera...
[37:08] >> Oh, I see. Hey, why don't you get a
[37:10] lighter camera? Uh...
[37:12] >> I always carry two, because I've had
[37:14] five stolen.
[37:15] >> Oh. Three were broken in fights; this
[37:18] one is from one of those fights. In
[37:21] here, this is my...
[37:23] >> What is this? Wait, I need to pack some
[37:26] things in a bit.
[37:29] >> Oh, you're a minimalist too.
[37:32] >> Let me show you. Did something fall out
[37:36] ? It's fine, it's fine.
[37:39] >> Is this salt?
[37:40] >> You can't eat that. What is this?
[37:44] >> This is rope, and that's...
[37:48] >> Wow, no wonder. Look inside.
[37:51] >> Wow, there's even a plastic container
[37:53] inside. No, this is a great reference
[37:55] for hikers. If you're going to do this,
[37:58] you have to design it scientifically,
[38:00] right? What kind of stuff do you need
[38:02] to prepare?
[38:03] >> These are tripods. For all the photos
[38:05] I've taken, I've gone through twenty or
[38:07] thirty tripods.
[38:09] >> Some were broken during fights, and
[38:11] some fell off the mountain. But there
[38:13] is something inside for self-defense.
[38:16] >> Let me see. Wow, oh my, this...
[38:25] >> And a rod too.
[38:27] >> I have encountered 19 robberies in
[38:29] total.
[38:29] >> Mm.
[38:30] >> Yeah.
[38:31] >> I'm in pretty good shape. Sometimes a
[38:34] guy around 20 with a dagger would try
[38:37] to rob me, thinking I'm an outsider,
[38:39] but I knew I could beat him.
[38:42] >> Mm.
[38:44] >> Later, when my hair grew over a meter
[38:46] long, there was this one time these
[38:48] guys with daggers and wooden sticks...
[38:51] ...came from a small woods. They knew I
[38:55] would pass through that village. They
[38:56] were lying in ambush. They chased me. I
[38:59] couldn't outrun them with my pack on. I
[39:01] dropped the pack; it was right there in
[39:03] the tripod bag. I keep my hair loose in
[39:06] the wild. So they ran toward me. I ran
[39:09] straight toward them. I was scared, too
[39:11] , at the time.
[39:12] >> Mm. Then I pulled out the blade. It was
[39:15] gleaming in the moonlight. As I ran, my
[39:17] hair flew up. I thought, "Finally, they
[39:19] see a human!" They turned and ran. That
[39:21] first time, I scared away four little
[39:23] thugs. Hey, that's amazing.
[39:25] >> They probably thought a wild man had
[39:27] appeared.
[39:27] >> That was beyond our expectations.
[39:29] >> Even the thieves were startled.
[39:31] >> Mm.
[39:31] >> He has been in the no-man's land for
[39:33] too long without seeing anyone.
[39:34] >> You’re robbing me? I just saw a
[39:36] person.
[39:37] >> These have all been disinfected.
[39:39] >> I wore out 52 pairs of shoes. This is
[39:41] —among them, I carried two pairs;
[39:43] this is the state they were worn down
[39:45] to.
[39:45] >> You have to carry a pair or two in your
[39:47] bag every time.
[39:49] >> Sometimes you need to use one,
[39:50] including these, which were worn to
[39:52] this extent.
[39:54] >> I once filmed in the Taklamakan Desert.
[39:59] I specifically chose those thick-soled
[40:01] ones, like combat boots, but I found
[40:03] that after just half a month...This
[40:05] split open because it broke; does that
[40:08] happen often? It's too dry, isn't it?
[40:14] >> At that time, the shoe glue wasn't
[40:16] great, and in the Taklamakan, walking
[40:18] on the desert and gravel, it was
[40:20] especially hard on them.
[40:23] >> These are the 52nd pair of shoes. Wow,
[40:25] you really have heart; these should
[40:27] definitely be kept.
[40:29] >> This was October 20, 1998. The first
[40:32] piece of clothing I wore, the one I
[40:34] wore on the very first day of my walk.
[40:35] >> Hey, put it on and let us see. Hey.
[40:38] >> The day I set off, yes, that was in
[40:39] Harbin.
[40:40] >> In Harbin, huh?
[40:41] >> October 20, 1998.
[40:43] >> It's a bit big.
[40:44] >> I wanted it to be a bit loose.
[40:46] >> Ah.
[40:46] >> I could wear things underneath.
[40:48] >> But you bought this shirt back then,
[40:49] and these words are your own?
[40:51] >> I printed them myself, had a friend
[40:52] help me print them.
[40:54] >> Oh, and this one?
[40:56] >> This one is what I wore...When I walked
[40:58] into Lop Nur and also the last shirt I
[41:00] wore when I came out.
[41:02] >> Hmm. What do you mean by the "last" one
[41:06] ?
[41:06] >> It’s the one I wore for ten years;
[41:07] this is the last shirt, after I
[41:08] finished the journey.
[41:09] >> It accompanied me to the end.
[41:11] >> For the last stretch...
[41:12] >> When I walked out of Lop Nur, I wore
[41:14] this shirt.
[41:15] >> Great, Chinese red. Right?
[41:18] >> Ah, you started with red and finished
[41:20] with red.
[41:20] >> Yes, the motherland’s landscape is
[41:22] all red. Did you make the resolution
[41:24] back then to walk for 10 years?
[41:26] >> Yes, the plan was 10 years. But how
[41:28] much certainty did you have at the time
[41:30] ?
[41:31] >> Basically none. I felt that if I died
[41:34] on the road, then so be it; I had to
[41:36] try my best to realize a dream.
[41:38] >> See, this is what he just answered to
[41:40] our question.
[41:41] >> What do you mean by "if I died on the
[41:42] road, so be it"? How can someone be so
[41:44] light about life?
[41:45] >> It’s not being light about it, but I
[41:47] would try my best to survive. The
[41:49] reason I said I might die......is
[41:50] because there wasn't a single example
[41:52] of someone who had actually finished
[41:54] the walk, so I could follow in their
[41:56] footsteps. Just follow the footsteps,
[41:58] and that would be fine. But there
[42:00] weren't any. If I couldn't finish the
[42:03] journey, the odds of that were one in a
[42:05] hundred million. The odds of surviving
[42:08] were so slim, yet I had to do it.
[42:12] >> So, I...I don't feel embarrassed to say
[42:14] it.
[42:15] >> Isn't that just asking for death?
[42:18] >> If the chance of dying is that high—
[42:20] never mind that high, we couldn't even
[42:22] accept a 10%chance of death.
[42:24] >> When I finally trekked through Lop Nur,
[42:27] the mortality rate must have been 99.99
[42:30] %.
[42:31] >> He...I'm right, he is the first person
[42:34] since the Tang Dynasty to traverse the
[42:36] entire Lop Nur region. Is that so?
[42:39] >> Yes.
[42:40] >> Have you verified this?
[42:41] >> The media has told me the same thing.
[42:43] I've also verified it myself. Why do
[42:45] they say since the Tang Dynasty?
[42:47] >> They told me—and I asked them—that
[42:49] only Xuanzang from the Tang Dynasty...
[42:52] >> Xuanzang walked along the edge, from
[42:54] Hami to Turpan, but back then Lop Nur
[42:56] still had water; he didn't walk through
[42:58] the lake bed. But when I went, the
[43:01] water had dried up, and I walked right
[43:02] through the riverbed. This was my gear,
[43:05] wearing that jacket with long johns
[43:07] underneath.
[43:08] >> I had two pockets inside, because back
[43:10] then there were no cards, no...
[43:13] >> Credit cards.
[43:14] >> One pocket was for cash, the other for
[43:16] my bank passbook.
[43:18] >> A passbook?
[43:19] >> Yes, a passbook.
[43:20] >> Oh, so you could visit banks in the
[43:22] towns along the way?
[43:23] >> Oh, the Postal Savings Bank. How much
[43:26] money did you take with you?
[43:28] >> I kept depositing money into it
[43:29] periodically. Ah, I wore this little
[43:32] sleeveless vest.
[43:36] >> This is my rice bowl, let me show the
[43:37] host.
[43:39] >> I wore this when I participated in the
[43:41] anti-flood efforts; one part is worn
[43:43] from carrying eggs, the other from
[43:45] carrying stones.
[43:46] >> Oh, carrying stones?
[43:47] >> Carrying stones means carrying rocks to
[43:49] the embankment to plug gaps. In these
[43:52] ten years, this has been the most
[43:53] precious piece of clothing. Why?
[43:58] >> Uh, there’s a story behind it, and
[44:00] there’s a secret here. It was the
[44:03] night of July 12th, 2002, in the
[44:05] uninhabited region of Ngari, Tibet. I
[44:08] was in a large tent, and there were two
[44:10] or three wolves nearby, maybe 100 or
[44:13] 200 meters away, circling around. I
[44:15] often encountered this, so I would take
[44:17] a pebble, tie a few firecrackers to it,
[44:20] so I could throw it a bit further,
[44:21] right?
[44:22] >> Right.
[44:23] >> Then I’d light it and throw it out,
[44:25] and the wolves would run away. After
[44:27] they ran off, I’d write in my diary.
[44:29] I could still hear the wolves howling
[44:31] outside. Later, I drifted off to sleep,
[44:34] and I heard a rustling sound outside. I
[44:38] always kept my knife unsheathed.
[44:40] >> Right by my side, I could reach it with
[44:43] my eyes closed. I pulled open the tent
[44:45] flap and saw a whole sea of green eyes.
[44:48] There must have been at least a dozen
[44:50] wolves in the pack. Twenty? Can you not
[44:54] say for sure if it was under twenty?
[44:57] Later, I started setting off
[44:59] firecrackers inside, and finally—oh,
[45:01] they started attacking my tent. I was
[45:04] inside, it was a yellow tent, I can't
[45:07] even set it up anymore. When I stay in
[45:11] it, I think about how nice it would be
[45:12] to have something like a hard-shell
[45:14] shelter. Hey, this is too...
[45:17] >> Too...that’s from 201......year. Look
[45:21] , this would actually look really nice
[45:23] hanging on a wall. It's beautiful,
[45:26] isn't it? Really. Okay, good. I’ll
[45:28] just take this downstairs first.
[45:30] >> Did the wolf pack retreat as soon as
[45:32] you threw those?
[45:32] >> I burned the wolves until they were
[45:34] howling, but they didn't retreat.
[45:35] >> Oh.
[45:36] >> Ah.
[45:36] >> If they didn't retreat, what did you do
[45:38] ? Did you keep burning things?
[45:39] >> I set off fireworks and burned clothes
[45:40] until I only had one set of thermal
[45:42] underwear left. I didn't dare burn any
[45:43] more, I was afraid of freezing to death
[45:45] , so I just hugged that knife. Uh, I
[45:46] also had an aerosol insect repellent.
[45:48] So I started spraying it. It was
[45:50] actually just pesticide, the smell was
[45:52] overpowering. Sometimes the wind would
[45:54] blow it into the tent, and it made me
[45:56] feel nauseous. I sprayed so much that
[45:57] only a little was left, so I just sat
[45:59] there until dawn, holding that can of
[46:01] insecticide and the knife.
[46:03] >> And the wolves?
[46:03] >> Eventually, the wolves pulled back.
[46:05] >> Huh, why did they retreat on their own?
[46:07] >> I don't know.
[46:08] >> Maybe the fire actually scared them off
[46:10] .
[46:10] >> This—this is the rope. It's the rope
[46:12] I use in the wild.
[46:13] >> Oh, this kind of rope is usually for
[46:15] mountain climbing?
[46:16] >> Right, for some cliffs where I can't
[46:17] climb up, I throw it over, wind it
[46:19] around, and use it.
[46:21] >> So, when you were sitting there, with
[46:23] the wolves neither advancing nor
[46:25] retreating, and you were holding that
[46:27] knife and the sprayer, did time pass
[46:29] incredibly slowly or incredibly fast?
[46:32] >> Incredibly slowly. This is my hair from
[46:35] ten years.
[46:36] >> Uh, these were the last two years when
[46:39] I was malnourished, it would fall out
[46:41] in huge clumps. Every time I washed it,
[46:43] so much would come off. The hair that
[46:45] fell out in those two years is even
[46:46] more than...
[46:47] >> Oh my, this is longer than any hair
[46:49] Xiao Nan has ever grown.
[46:50] >> I don't think it's that long.
[46:51] >> No, he made a vow, right? He said if he
[46:53] didn't finish the walk, he wouldn't get
[46:55] a haircut.
[46:55] >> He'd get it cut after he finished?
[46:56] >> This is the hair grown over ten years.
[46:58] >> Yes, yes, hair grown over ten years.
[47:00] >> You've grown enough for several heads!
[47:02] >> This is what fell out; it’s what fell
[47:03] out over two years, and I collected it.
[47:05] >> Oh, you are so thoughtful.
[47:07] >> When you comb it, it comes out in
[47:09] bunches, so you just keep it. I feel
[47:11] everything is a specimen, so I
[47:13] collected them all.
[47:15] >> Milk curds eaten in Xinjiang.
[47:17] >> Oh.
[47:17] >> Can I smell it?
[47:19] >> Oh, I’ve seen this kind before.
[47:21] >> Here. It smells just like smelly feet.
[47:24] >> Exactly, it’s really smelly, that's
[47:25] what I think.
[47:26] >> That’s exactly the scent. It’s the
[47:28] authentic flavor.
[47:29] >> Eating this stuff is actually quite
[47:30] nutritious.
[47:31] >> Mm.
[47:31] >> You already have a lot of things, but
[47:33] you actually keep bringing back more
[47:34] from the local areas, constantly.
[47:36] >> I have always...I’ve been doing this
[47:37] for ten years.
[47:38] >> Mm. I’ve spent ten years picking up
[47:44] scrap, and in the end, I’ve
[47:45] accumulated over two tons, including
[47:48] books, ethnic artifacts, as well as
[47:50] animal bones and stone fossils found in
[47:52] uninhabited areas.
[47:57] >> Wouldn't you need to travel light? But
[47:58] the further I went, the more things I
[48:00] collected.
[48:00] >> Then when I gathered a few dozen
[48:02] catties, I’d go to the post office,
[48:03] wrap it up, and mail it back. There
[48:05] were no couriers back then, everything
[48:06] went through the post office. So he’s
[48:08] quite thoughtful; he actually organized
[48:10] two or three exhibitions in Beijing
[48:11] with the things he brought back.
[48:13] >> This is the thermometer I used back
[48:15] then.
[48:16] >> Mm.
[48:18] >> This thermometer is too ordinary.
[48:20] >> No, it isn't.
[48:21] >> Why did you wrap it in such a large
[48:23] package?
[48:24] >> This is what I got when I left Yangguan
[48:26] to enter Lop Nur. They gave me one,
[48:29] just like that "West of Yangguan."
[48:32] >> West of the pass, no one there. Oh, oh,
[48:34] an official pass document.
[48:36] >> Yes, yes, yes, hey, I’m interested in
[48:39] this.
[48:39] >> A travel permit. Back in the day, Tang
[48:42] Xuanzang, or Monk Tang, didn't have
[48:44] this permit.
[48:46] >> He snuck out of the country.
[48:48] >> Post office.
[48:50] >> A small post office stamped it.
[48:53] >> Yes, yes, yes, that place is Yangguan,
[48:55] and since it’s for tourism, they do
[48:58] these kinds of things.
[48:59] >> These are small pipes the Drung people
[49:01] use for smoking; they’re made of
[49:03] bamboo. Hey, I like this. Right, hey,
[49:06] how nice is this! A bamboo joint, huh?
[49:08] >> This is also a bamboo root.
[49:10] >> It kind of looks like the head of a
[49:11] Luohan statue, doesn't it?
[49:13] >> A little bit.
[49:14] >> The Drung people.
[49:15] >> You're thinking of hanging it on the
[49:17] wall again.
[49:17] >> Hey, just hang it on the wall, it
[49:19] really looks good, look. And let me
[49:22] tell the three teachers something. This
[49:25] is the exact outfit I wore.
[49:28] >> Mm.
[49:29] >> And a pair of shoes, bought on Barkhor
[49:31] Street in Lhasa. 90 yuan for this set.
[49:35] Then I got a pair of shoes for 40 yuan.
[49:38] And I headed off toward Everest. As a
[49:40] result, I climbed to the Rongbuk
[49:42] Glacier at nearly 7,000 meters. I shot
[49:45] several rolls of film. One was for
[49:47] shooting the glacier, and one was for
[49:49] me to set it to selfie mode to film
[49:51] myself. I shot two or three rolls.
[49:53] >> Then, when I got off the mountain,
[49:55] because I had a theme for my departure,
[49:57] this theme sparked controversy, and
[49:59] some felt I was a bit pretentious,
[50:01] saying "environmentalism, ethnic
[50:02] exploration." I wanted to cover all 56
[50:05] ethnic groups. And, while doing that,
[50:07] I’d make some records regarding
[50:09] environmental protection. Seeing the
[50:11] non-biodegradable trash left at Mount
[50:14] Everest, I brought a snake-skin bag
[50:16] down from 7,000 meters to the 5,200-
[50:18] meter base camp; because I had to keep
[50:21] my eyes on the ground, sometimes the
[50:23] pits were uneven, and I was afraid of
[50:25] tripping. I also picked up a few
[50:28] fossils there. Oh, this is ancient.
[50:32] This is from, you know, from the sea
[50:34] millions of years ago.
[50:36] >> Because the Himalayas used to be an
[50:38] ocean. After it uplifted, there was
[50:42] this huge thing called an ammonite,
[50:44] like the kind you’ve seen in museums.
[50:48] >> It was originally from the sea, which
[50:50] proves the Himalayan orogeny pushed it
[50:52] up from the ocean floor.
[50:54] >> That’s why there are still these
[50:55] marine life
[50:56] >> fossils on the mountain. "
[50:57] >> Cang Hai Sang Tian"(the sea turns into
[50:59] mulberry fields), this is what I...
[51:00] >> This is the compressed biscuit I ate in
[51:02] Lop Nur.
[51:04] >> Oh, let me take a look.
[51:05] >> High-energy compressed biscuits. How
[51:07] much energy does one piece provide? Two
[51:11] of these can last a whole day, no
[51:13] problem.
[51:14] >> Have you ever starved? On the road?
[51:16] >> The longest I went was five days
[51:18] without eating anything edible to a
[51:20] normal person, but I could eat other
[51:21] things.
[51:22] >> For instance...
[51:25] >> For instance, catching mice, eating
[51:27] snakes raw, eating ants, lizards, and
[51:30] flies.
[51:33] >> Don't you get an upset stomach from
[51:34] eating those?
[51:35] >> Flies taste better than mice. Don't
[51:37] believe me? Try it.
[51:38] >> The title of this episode could be "
[51:40] Flies Taste Better Than Mice."
[51:42] >> Good topic.
[51:43] >> Because mice have that earthy, musky
[51:45] smell. They are hard to swallow, but
[51:47] flies don't have much flavor; when you
[51:49] chew them, they are sticky, but they
[51:51] have moisture. They have some nutrients
[51:54] .
[51:55] >> Now, your face...what’s it called?
[51:59] Your show is called "Cold and Warm Life
[52:01] ," right?
[52:02] >> Your face is covered in...
[52:04] >> This is something I picked up in Lop
[52:06] Nur. Wild camel dung.
[52:09] >> Ah.
[52:11] >> Wild camels are much rarer and more
[52:13] precious than giant pandas.
[52:19] >> Oh, so these little bowls have a use
[52:21] now.
[52:23] >> This is camel dung, oh. This isn't rice
[52:28] , and it's not a dried date.
[52:32] >> What is this?
[52:35] >> Wild camel dung, it's also a specimen,
[52:38] these are geological samples from Lop
[52:40] Nur.
[52:44] >> Oh, the last drop of water dried up in
[52:46] 1972, and this is a little water snail.
[52:49] >> Oh, there are even tiny water snails;
[52:51] it really was a lake.
[52:53] >> The last drop of water seemed to have
[52:54] ...
[52:55] >> There was a heart of Lop Nur that dried
[52:57] up in 1972.
[52:58] >> But this Lop Nur was our country's
[52:59] original atomic bomb test site, so
[53:01] won't there be radioactivity or things
[53:03] like that?
[53:05] >> Well, this is a bullet casing and clip
[53:07] I found in the ruins of a house back
[53:09] then.
[53:10] >> It’s not a house anymore, it’s gone
[53:12] .
[53:12] >> It has already collapsed, but the house
[53:14] is still there; I picked up a piece of
[53:16] pottery in Loulan.
[53:17] >> Haha, you really "won't return until
[53:19] Loulan is conquered."
[53:21] >> These are some geological samples. And
[53:24] this is mica. You can take it out to
[53:28] see, the big piece is shiny.
[53:32] >> Is this called crystal?
[53:33] >> No, mica. How do you have this kind of
[53:36] knowledge?
[53:37] >> I just learned it, I haven't really
[53:39] read many books.
[53:39] >> It means for the ten years before you
[53:41] set off, you were constantly preparing,
[53:43] both physically and intellectually.
[53:47] >> This is that sand blown down from the
[53:49] Ganshan Mountains. And this belongs to
[53:53] coarse grit stone.
[53:56] >> This is real sand.
[53:57] >> This is coarse sand.
[53:59] >> Sand from where?
[54:00] >> From Lop Nur.
[54:01] >> Lop's sand. Yes, everything here is
[54:03] from Lop, that's right.
[54:05] >> And you can walk for two days and it's
[54:07] like this, then after two more days it
[54:09] changes again.
[54:11] >> Can you imagine? The yellow desert is
[54:13] actually dark and gloomy.
[54:15] >> Black Gobi, some call it black.
[54:17] >> Black Gobi, right.
[54:18] >> Then as you walk, it suddenly changes.
[54:21] >> Like this.
[54:22] >> Oh, this one is finer.
[54:24] >> Oh.
[54:25] >> Oh.
[54:25] >> This kind—this is a different sand,
[54:27] yes, it turned into this kind of sand.
[54:29] >> Mm. Then as you keep walking forward,
[54:34] this is fine sand. And this is from the
[54:37] Loulan area, this gold is...
[54:39] >> This is what I'm familiar with.
[54:41] >> My goodness.
[54:42] >> Like flour, right?
[54:44] >> Oh.
[54:45] >> Really. What is it based on? Why do
[54:47] these topographical changes happen as
[54:48] you go further in?
[54:49] >> It depends on the different landscapes;
[54:51] it’s caused by the Yardang landform.
[54:54] There are many types of terrain, and
[54:56] the landscape determines the many
[54:57] different types of sand depending on
[54:59] the terrain.
[55:01] >> Mm.
[55:01] >> Sometimes the more you hit it, the more
[55:03] it shatters.
[55:04] >> Look at it flowing through my fingers;
[55:06] this is what it means to see time
[55:07] passing, isn't it? Let me tell you,
[55:10] Xiaonan, they say that top-tier beaches
[55:12] ...
[55:13] >> The best beaches are......
[55:14] >> just as fine as powdered milk.
[55:16] >> Look at this sand on the desert.
[55:19] >> Oh my, I think Teacher Lei has a talent
[55:21] for running a museum.
[55:24] >> This is a piece I picked up.
[55:26] >> Mm.
[55:26] >> In Lop.
[55:28] >> Oh, this could make a flower pot.
[55:32] >> Hey.
[55:33] >> Yours. I asked Teacher, you know that
[55:37] Lop Nur looks like a "Great Ear Lake"
[55:39] on satellite imagery?
[55:41] >> I actually picked up a stone in
[55:43] southern Lop. It's just like the
[55:45] outline of that "Great Ear."
[55:46] >> Oh my, this is the symbol of Lop.
[55:49] >> Oh.
[55:50] >> Yes.
[55:50] >> It looks like a big ear.
[55:52] >> This is called ventifact.
[55:54] >> Wow.
[55:55] >> It was shaped by the wind.
[55:56] >> This one is beautiful.
[55:58] >> This is beautiful.
[55:59] >> Ventifact.
[56:00] >> Yeah, this really could be considered a
[56:02] sculpted display stone.
[56:04] >> Yes, sculpted by the wind.
[56:05] >> Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
[56:07] >> Lop Nur's last drop of water dried up
[56:09] in 1972, you know.
[56:11] >> Yeah.
[56:11] >> It formed salt crusts, this is a real
[56:14] salt crust. You can't eat it; it mainly
[56:17] contains potash.
[56:18] >> Potash? The potassium in NPK.
[56:23] >> I saw a place where machines had gone
[56:25] in to survey the minerals, and they dug
[56:27] up a piece. The bottom was white, so I
[56:34] started digging down, and finally, I
[56:36] got this piece.
[56:39] >> Wow.
[56:40] >> I've been carrying this around for 17
[56:43] years.
[56:44] >> This is potash salt.
[56:46] >> Potash salt, huh?
[56:48] >> Wow.
[56:50] >> Don't break the skin, it can get
[56:52] infected easily.
[56:53] >> Oh.
[56:54] >> What is this stuff actually used for?
[56:56] >> It's fertilizer.
[56:57] >> Oh, used for making fertilizer.
[56:59] >> Used for making fertilizer.
[57:00] >> Oh. Why would you think to carry
[57:01] something so heavy? Isn't it very
[57:03] dangerous inside? Well,
[57:04] >> Going in is very dangerous, but getting
[57:06] in isn't easy. It all requires approval
[57:08] ; they don't just let anyone in.
[57:10] >> Oh.
[57:10] >> I figured I'd try to pick up whatever I
[57:12] could while I was there.
[57:13] >> But that increases your risk.
[57:15] >> Yes, that's for sure. This was in Lop
[57:18] Nur; I walked for 31 days, and the only
[57:20] water I found that was drinkable was
[57:22] salty.
[57:23] >> Salty water.
[57:24] >> Where is this? Is there a small lake?
[57:26] Or what?
[57:27] >> There is a small lake. It says "Sweet
[57:29] Water Well" here. Ah, I see this.
[57:32] Headwaters of the Yangtze River, oh,
[57:35] that’s meaningful.
[57:36] >> This is the water from my hometown
[57:38] river.
[57:38] >> Oh, Hulan River water? What’s the
[57:40] name of that novel? "
[57:41] >> Tales of the Hulan River.""
[57:42] >> Tales of the Hulan River," yes, from
[57:44] Heilongjiang.
[57:45] >> The source of the Yangtze is in Zaduo
[57:48] County, Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai
[57:50] Province.
[57:51] >> You usually carry these things in your
[57:53] backpack? Once I carry them out and
[57:56] find a post office or a place with
[57:57] people, in the towns or counties, I
[57:59] pack them in a box and mail them back.
[58:02] >> But you still have to have a tent and
[58:04] things; you have to carry those with
[58:06] you, don't you?
[58:07] >> So, where is the tent? The tent and
[58:09] cover are all right here.
[58:11] >> Oh, so a small bag like this can fit
[58:13] everything?
[58:14] >> Yes.
[58:19] >> Amazing, this is, this is worth
[58:21] cherishing. These are all experiences.
[58:28] >> This is, this is my felt rug.
[58:32] >> Do you have a sleeping bag?
[58:34] >> No sleeping bag today, this is the tent
[58:36] fly.
[58:36] >> A tent fly, this one.
[58:38] >> These are the tent stakes.
[58:39] >> Oh, you use this to drive the stakes in
[58:41] , this one.
[58:42] >> It’s very thin, this.
[58:44] >> This tent cover.
[58:46] >> Oh, you can set it up here; if you set
[58:48] up a tent, the four of us can chat
[58:50] inside.
[58:51] >> We won't fit. Original style, tent
[58:55] style.
[58:56] >> This is, this base is the mat.
[58:58] >> I can even use this mat on ice, no
[59:00] problem. Just spread it out.
[59:01] >> Mm.
[59:02] >> On ice.
[59:04] >> Good heavens.
[59:05] >> Uh, this is, these are some food items.
[59:09] >> And then, this is some
[59:12] >> stuff on the road, odds and ends, I’m
[59:14] just a collector of junk. Anyway, it
[59:17] feels a bit curious.
[59:18] >> You are a thoughtful person.
[59:20] >> No. He has quite a design, he made this
[59:22] into his own road.
[59:24] >> So
[59:25] >> The key is this is too precious, not
[59:27] just anyone could bring this back.
[59:30] >> Then on the road, I made a, made a
[59:32] piece of cloth.
[59:35] >> Mm.
[59:36] >> Uh, on July 13, 2001, I walked to
[59:39] Zhongdian, Yunnan.
[59:41] >> Is it called Shangri-La now?
[59:43] >> Shangri-La.
[59:44] >> Then in 2008, the 29th Summer Games
[59:47] were held. It was when Samaranch
[59:50] announced it in Moscow; I was watching
[59:52] on a black-and-white TV, one of those
[59:54] big CRT ones, and I was so excited. In
[59:57] a local family's home. Then I made a
[59:59] banner overnight; actually, I had
[60:00] nothing to do with the Olympics, I just
[60:02] wanted to be associated with it.
[60:04] >> I set off in '98, and if I finished
[60:06] walking, it would be '08. Oh.
[60:09] >> '98 to '08, so I bought a piece of
[60:11] cloth.
