92-year-old man conquers Antarctic dream
Qiu Xiegeng and his son, Qiu Xiaoxiang at China's Great Wall Station in the South Pole.
An elderly man has proven it's never too late to follow your dreams.
The 92-year-old achieved his dream of traveling the entire world after reaching the South Pole, 17,000 kilometers away from his home, during last week's Spring Festival.
Qiu Xiegeng, from Suzhou in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, arrived at China's Great Wall Station in the South Pole at 3:46pm local time on February 9, accompanied by his son, Qiu Xiaoxiang, Xinhua news agency reported.
Qiu was excited when sharing his meaningful story with family via video chat — this dream was not his alone, but also that of his late wife.
Both Qiu and his wife, Ji Li, were fond of travel. The couple went abroad for the first time in 1999 and visited almost every place in the world, except the South Pole, over the past few decades.
Unfortunately Qiu's wife died of illness in October, 2018. After mourning, Qiu decided to bring forward his travel to the South Pole to fulfill his wife's last wish.
Qiu and his son began their journey on February 5 after three-month preparation. On board an international cruise liner, Qiu first witnessed the natural beauty of the area, together with more than 70 other travelers.
Antarctica is now the seventh continent Qiu has conquered after venturing to 56 countries and regions throughout the world.
"Now I've fulfilled all my dreams," Qiu said.
