Shanghai student, 23, sets off on 16-day bus ride to North Pole Village
A senior student has embarked on a long journey by bus from Shanghai to China's northernmost county of Mohe, Heilongjiang Province, covering an estimated total distance of 3,865 kilometers with over 2,000 stops.
Jiang Xia set off from Shanghai on Monday for Beiji Village, or North Pole Village, in a small town in Mohe, with the journey – taken by local buses rather than long-distance buses – scheduled to take 16 days.
He began by boarding a local public transport bus in Shanghai and would subsequently change buses – all public transport buses of cities he would travel through – until he reaches his destination, hopefully in 16 days.
The 23-year-old arranged the trip as a reward for himself for all the hard work he put in sitting for the recent postgraduate entrance examination. He said the funds for the journey came from his part-time job income he earned after December exam and scholarships at school.
Jiang Xia waits at a bus stop in Shanghai on Monday, from where he embarked on his journey.
Carrying around 7,000 yuan (US$972.30), he planned a cost-effective route half a month in advance, with the travel expenses budgeted to be within 1,500 yuan.
Born in Hefei in east China's Anhui Province, Jiang longed to experience the Ice and Snow World in Harbin and taste the delicacies of the morning markets elsewhere in northeast China. And as a geography enthusiast, Jiang said he also wanted to enjoy local customs and scenery at leisure and gain thoughtful insights during the journey. Hence he was using the bus for the whole trip.
"I did not want to reach my destination too fast," Jiang explained.
Jiang's travel bag is mostly packed with clothes to keep warm in Beiji Village, one of the coldest places in China with an average temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius. He also packed a few books for his trip, one of which is the novel A Long Long Way by Irish writer Sebastian Barry, an epic and moving story of one man's war. He is accustomed to reading books on bus while enjoying the scenery along the way.
The first night of the trip, the hotel where Jiang stayed in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province.
In December 2022, he made the trending topic on Weibo for travelling from Shanghai to Beijing by bus in a similar manner. However, he drew an outpouring of online criticism after the trip. As he had dyed his hair blond, some commented that he was "more likely a liar and a hoodlum than a college student." Jiang was deeply frustrated by the criticism, and sought psychological counseling.
The trip, however, also had a positive impact as Jiang, who was once shy, introverted, and afraid to express himself, improved his language skills by chatting with passers-by on his journey, and became more optimistic and outgoing.
Driven by his growing affinity and fascination with "travelling to the north", Jiang determined to set out for the more distant and colder Mohe.
"I am now holding high expectations for this journey," said Jiang. "I fantasize about standing at the northernmost point of China amidst vast expanses of white snow."
The winter scenery of Beiji Village, or North Pole Village, China's northernmost village.
