Touring provides relief from tedious home life

"I love hiking," said Chen Zishun, who never hesitates to talk about his passion, especially since he completed a trek to the Tibet autonomous region last year.

The 23-year-old had tried to walk to Lhasa, Tibet's regional capital, twice before, but he failed because he didn't have enough money to support his dream.

However, he left his hometown in Qujing, Yunnan province, in March last year to begin his a successful trek to Lhasa.

Chen completed the 2,400-kilometer journey by walking for 135 days along National Highway 318. When he arrived, he posted a photo of himself at the Potala Palace on his WeChat moments.

As the youngest child, he is deeply loved by his family, especially as he lost both arms when he was 9 after touching a live power line. He said his family has wrapped him in a cocoon and his parents don't support or understand his hobby.

"Staying home, doing nothing is their highest expectation for me. They even think that interests or dreams are not necessary for me," he said.

Chen spent about three years learning how to use chopsticks, write, fasten the buttons of his clothes and operate his cellphone proficiently with his feet.

"The hardest part wasn't practicing to care for myself over and over again, but knowing that I had to struggle under the skeptical eyes of strangers," he said.

Starting in 2020, he amassed more than 120,000 followers by livestreaming video games. He earned about 6,000 yuan ($950) a month after signing a contract with a short-video platform and used his earnings to finance his journeys.

The job required him to shoot and edit game videos and conduct livestreams every day. Often, he didn't finish work until 1 am, and the boredom of swapping day for night wore out his patience and made him depressed and annoyed.

"I could not bear the spiritually empty world or the deterioration of my physical functions. If I continued to be trapped at home, my body would be paralyzed," he said.

During summer 2020, Chen watched a video that showed how one of his gaming peers had ridden a bicycle to Tibet.

"I envied him so much when I saw the footage! My mind flew away with the video," he said. The friend is also disabled, so after studying the route and possible difficulties, Chen felt that he could also walk to Lhasa.

"No one believed that a man who has lost his arms will play games to earn money to live and to go hiking. On the trip, I was always asked how I take care of myself, such as how I go to the toilet. I was confused and frustrated because I was doing something more far difficult but the focus was always on weird questions," he said.

Chen spent more than 3,000 yuan on supplies online, but his parents opposed his plan once they heard about it. As a result, he left home early one morning while his family was still asleep.

"Walking to Lhasa alone was not as easy as posting a photo. Sometimes when I walked downhill, the strong wind seemed to blow me to the ground without any mercy. When I arrived in Lhasa, I slept in my tent for three days. When I woke up, my knees began to ache, suggesting that I had been injured along the way," he said.

He seldom called his family or told them what had happened on the journey, even though his parents were worried about his safety.

He has now decided to stay on the road rather than going back to livestreaming online games.