Zhang Guangzhu & Wang Zhongjin: Never Too Old to Travel

By staff reporter HOU RUILI

OVER the past five years， Zhang Guangzhu and his wife Wang Zhongjin have traveled to 50 countries and regions. Theyve seen Antarctica and the Arctic， ascended to Qomolangma （Everest） Base Camp at 5，248 meters， and dipped in the Dead Sea， which at 423 meters below sea level is the Earths lowest terrestrial point.

Zhang and Wang have traveled more places in half a decade than most of us see in a lifetime. They tick off countries like a couple of young backpackers – all the more impressive considering their age： Zhang is 65； his wife is 63.

Many retirees in China spend their time – and money – taking care of their children and grandchildren. Not Zhang and Wang. Since Zhang packed in his job at a state-owned enterprise in 2008 he reckons he and his wife have spent over RMB 700，000 of their retirement savings on plane tickets， hotels， tours and all the rest.

Zhang and Wang say they view their spending as an investment in themselves. The payoff they get comes in the form of health， knowledge of foreign cultures， and an open mind.

The couple used to love trekking when they were young. Once， in Tiger Leaping Gorge， Yunnan Province， they met a foreign trekker who could not speak a word of Chinese. He relied on his guidebook and phrasebook to travel around. Zhang remembers saying to his wife： “This guy has managed to get to what is a fairly remote place without any knowledge of the local language. Our English isnt great； that shouldnt stop us trekking in the Alps， should it？”

Retirement afforded the couple an opportunity to realize their wanderlust. In 2008， they trekked in the German， French and Austrian parts of the Alps.

In 2009， they drove for 105 days across the U.S.， Canada， Mexico and Cuba. “Driving in North America was a challenge for us. We not only needed to drive for long periods， but also follow the local traffic rules and signs. For us with our beginners English， it was not easy，” Zhang said. They bought a GPS in the U.S. and installed Chinese language software. They ended up driving through the U.S. for 52 days， during which they visited fully half of the countrys national parks.

Two years later they spent 180 days traveling， crossing the Antarctic six times and seeing the jaw-dropping differences between the continents seasons.

In their travels， Zhang and Wang have also visited Russia， Nepal and India. This year they have already tallied up six countries in the Middle East， including Iran and Lebanon.

“We have enjoyed exotic landscapes， beautiful architecture and sumptuous local cuisine. There are many highlights， but there have also been difficulties. In a way， overcoming obstacles has provided us with some of our most vivid memories and travel stories，” said Zhang.

On the way to the historic ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru， Wang experienced a severe bout of altitude sickness， combined with a fever. A hospital visit ensued. “As we didnt know the local language， we had to communicate with hand gestures. We showed a copy of our insurance policy and ended up using a hospital computer to communicate. We got our message across， and my wife soon recovered. There are ways to get around the language barrier： youve got to use your experience， intelligence– and courage – when faced with difficulties，” Zhang said.

Zhang says that despite the language barrier the couple has always felt warmth from locals keen on showing their hospitality. “When taking the train in Cuba， the local staff soon worked out we couldnt speak Spanish， so they took us under their wing and helped us get to our stop and send us off on the right bus from the nearby bus station. The kindness of strangers is real –even if you cant understand what they are saying.”

The couple is not done traveling yet. Plans in the works include trips to the U.K. and Japan. They want to see the animals of the African Savannah， and bathe in hot springs in Iceland.

Zhang and Wang say they want to inspire younger generations of Chinese to get out and see the world. To this end， they hope to use Weibo， Chinas twitter-like service， as well as personal blogs to share tips on traveling abroad， and provide an information service on the politics， culture， religion， landscape and folk customs of countries they have visited. In providing this information， they say perspective is key： they always bring the discussion back to China to convey how countries differ from each other.

Zhang and Wang are also adept at traditional media， and have published two books on traveling and the inspirations they have found on the road.

Zhang is keen to stress that he doesnt share many young Chinese peoples hopes to settle down abroad. Though he and his wife travel for much of the year， he says home is still an important concept. And their home is firmly in China. “Ive seen many places， but my home still provides me with the most solace. I have friends there with whom I can relax and be myself.”