＂The smallest backpacker in China＂ walked on Lop Nur for 6 days and cried and returned with his companions.
"The smallest backpacker" treks in the desert.
On December 7th, Wenwen and her party were in a hostel on Xiaotianzhu Scenic Resort Street. Liu Chenping
Don’t go to kindergarten, walk with parents since childhood, and spend more than half of the year on the road … … In 2016, a photo of a little girl begging for a ride on the roadside caught fire in Weibo. The little girl in the photo was only 4 years old at that time, but she had been in prison for nearly 3 years, so netizens called her "the smallest backpacker in China".
In the past year, Wenwen has not stopped hiking. Together with her parents, she challenged the Sichuan-Tibet Line, experienced paragliding in Nepal and crossed the virgin forest … … Just last month, 5-year-old Wen Wen, her father, mother, brother and new partner Lin Lin challenged the "sea of death" Lop Nur. On December 7th, the family who had returned to Chengdu was interviewed by a reporter. "Tiger Dad" Pan Tufeng told the reporter that the trip to the desert was only six days, which was "a failed challenge", but it also gained a lot.
Along the way, the debate about Wenwen’s parents’ "tiger education" has never stopped. Although questioned, my father Pan Tufeng’s decision not to let her (Wenwen) go to kindergarten has not wavered. In September next year, Wenwen will reach the age of going to school. Pan Tufeng admits that he will try to choose the holiday time for hiking in the future.
New members join
Take a leave of absence for two months, and the peers will retreat halfway.
On December 3rd, Wenwen and his party arrived in Chengdu, which was the last stop of their trip. "I will return to Shangrao in a few days, and my child’s leave will expire soon." On the 7th, in a youth hostel near Huaxi Dam, Chengdu, I watched three children playing around, Pan Tufeng said.
Among the three children, in addition to the daughter Wenwen and the eldest son Bai Ru, a new member — — Bai Ru’s friend, 11-year-old Lin Lin.
During the summer vacation this year, Bai Ru, who was on holiday at home, became a "king of the children", camping and having a picnic with children older than herself, and Lin Lin was one of them. "He (Lin Lin) may be infected and wants to join our hike. His parents are also very supportive, so they are together." Speaking of new members, Pan Tufeng’s tone is hard to hide his confidence.
I went to the plateau and went to the seaside. This time, Pan Tufeng set a new challenge for the children — — "Sea of Death" Lop Nur. I asked the school for two months’ leave. In October, a group of five people started a challenge trip on the Yunnan-Tibet line.
Get up at 6: 30 every day and walk more than 20 kilometers … … When she came to a place called Foshan Town, Lin Lin backed out. On that day, few vehicles passed by on the road. Until 11 pm, the group still didn’t get on the bus. Walking on the road in the middle of nowhere, Lin Lin cried to go home. "What I didn’t expect was that Wen Wen and Bai Ru took the initiative to comfort and encourage their brother." Pan Tufeng said.
After an episode, five people continued on the road, and Lin Lin gradually integrated into it. "At first, I called his parents every day. Later, I only called once a week, which made me more independent."
No man’s land on foot
After walking for three days, I returned, and the children came out of the desert crying.
At the end of October, a group of people arrived in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang. From here, journey to the south is Lop Nur. Pan Tufeng originally planned to cross by off-road vehicle. However, under the persuasion of relatives and friends, and considering that the child is too young, Pan Tufeng and his wife Yuan Duan decided to "have a taste": "Just find a local as a guide and feel it on foot."
Before leaving, Pan Tufeng made a goal: to stay in the desert for ten days. According to this plan, enough water and food are prepared. "If you follow the plan every day, it should be enough."
Compared with adults, children are much simpler: how happy they are to have countless sands to play in the desert. Arriving at Washixia Town, Wenwen couldn’t wait to drill into the desert.
Pan Tufeng doesn’t think this is for children to play — — Every child has to carry his own clothes and food. Lin Lin and Bai Ru are older and boys, each of them has to carry two barrels of 1.5 liters of water, and Wen Wen, who is only five years old, has to carry two bottles of 500 ml of water.
On November 2 nd, the trip to the desert no man’s land was set off. Just seeing the sand, the three children were very excited, building bases and building castles and having fun. However, from the third day, the novelty was wiped out by the same scenery in front of her eyes, and with the fatigue caused by walking for more than ten kilometers every day, Lin Lin took the lead in getting emotional. See elder brother don’t go, wenwen, Bai Ru also began to cry.
Do what you can. Pan Tufeng and Yuan Duan are not going to force the children to go on, but even if they want to go home, they have to walk back by themselves. It is their consistent attitude not to help. Tired of walking, sit down and rest, rest well, pack your back and continue walking. On the sixth day, the children walked out of the desert by themselves.
A child’s harvest
Unsuccessful challenges make children know how to cherish water.
There is another important reason why I chose to end my trip early: there is not enough water.
"The first time I went to the desert, I was inexperienced. At first, I thought the bag was delicious, so I ate more and drank more water." Pan Tufeng said that children also don’t know how to drink water in a planned way. "By the next day, they had already finished drinking the water on their backs."
Originally planned to drink enough water for 10 days, only half of it was left after 4 days, so I had to turn back ahead of time. "This is an unsuccessful challenge, but the gains are still great." Pan Tufeng said.
Lin Lin’s parents felt the change of their children. "Because he was favored at home since he was a child, he (Lin Lin) is lazy and doesn’t know how to suffer. After coming out of the desert, he suddenly became more sensible and told us to save water and food. " Lin Lin’s mother, Zheng Xiaohong, said.
Six days in the desert, hardships are everywhere. There is a big temperature difference between morning and evening in desert areas, and the temperature is only about 2℃ at night. In tents, children wrap their clothes and shrink into sleeping bags to keep warm. In Pan Tufeng’s view, this is to exercise children’s will, but also to teach them to learn to cherish.
Walking in the unchanging desert, even if there are local people as guides, it is inevitable that they will feel desperate because they can’t see the edge. "This is also a rare experience for them. After personal experience, they can feel the meaning of persistence."
New plan
Challenge the Qinghai-Tibet line before entering primary school next year.
In mid-December, Bai Ru and Lin Lin’s holiday is over, and they will return to class. After missing two months of courses, can you still keep up? Pan Tufeng is very optimistic: "On the way out, we all brought textbooks. If there is something we don’t understand, Bai Ru also asked the teacher through WeChat."
In September this year, Bai Ru was promoted to the third grade. In the first month’s assessment, he ranked more than 50 in the class of more than 60 people. Pan Tufeng didn’t care much about this. He said: "What they learned at school is only a part. I believe that they have learned more during their travels, which is also helpful for their future study."
Next September, Wenwen should also go to primary school. Is it to let the children go on like this, or to return to campus? Pan Tufeng said frankly: "After Wenwen goes to school, she may take advantage of her two children to have a holiday and then go out on foot."
However, in the remaining months, Pan Tufeng has drawn up a new plan for Wenwen: to challenge the Qinghai-Tibet Line. "We have all challenged the Sichuan-Tibet line, the Yunnan-Tibet line and the New Tibet line. Only the Qinghai-Tibet line is left in the four national roads into Tibet, and I hope it can be completed before she enters school."
Huaxi Dushi Bao-cover journalist Wu Bingqing
Trainee reporter Tian Zhilu Photography Liu Chenping
