Pastoral pleasures: at a rape flowers field in Wuyuan, Jiangxi. [Photo provided to shanghai star]

"We want to explore the hidden beauty of nature and make friends, traveling around on foot, away from our busy and stressful working life," Xiu says.

Xiu organizes city walking tours weekly and hiking trips outside Shanghai every month. The events are held on weekends or during holidays, and on average around 100 people turn up.

During summer, some hikes take place late in the afternoon because of the high temperatures.

"Our group is a social community facilitating physical exercises, the meeting of the like-minded and lets us know ourselves better by breaking our own limits," Xiu says.

Like Xiu, other members of the group also take part in the activities to make friends and challenge themselves.

"My first hiking experience took place in the night of Nov 11, 2012, when I walked about 20 kilometers without stopping until sunrise," says Tu Mi, 26, a PhD student at Shanghai Normal University.

Tu says the hike was therapeutic, as she had just moved to Shanghai and was feeling lonely. Members of the group also meet for dinner, and watch films and attend exhibitions together, Tu says.