China social media stunned by weather-beaten woman, 28, who looks decades older after long hikes but has ‘no appearance anxiety’
- Woman walks National Highway, covers 50km a day, pushes 50kg supplies
- Observers claim she looks 58, she says she has ‘strong heart, healthy body’
A 28-year-old long-distance hiker in China who has shocked people online with a weather-beaten face that makes her look much older has hit back at her detractors.
The woman from central China’s Hubei province, nicknamed Xiaxia, was filmed by a Douyin influencer on a hiking trip along the China National Highway 214 in March.
She began the journey from southwestern China’s Chongqing municipality to the southwestern Tibet autonomous region in January.
Throughout the entire journey, Xiaxia pushed a 50kg cart carrying her daily living necessities, including a tent and a stove.
She said she pitched her tent in relatively safe villages and slept in hotels no more than three times a month. More often, she chose not to sleep, in favour of hiking throughout the night.
She covered distances of up to 50km a day and did online live-streaming along the way, which she said helped relieve boredom, and the screen allowed her to check the cars behind.
Live-streaming is also her major source of income. Donations from viewers could reach up to 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) a month.
Some online observers were shocked at her appearance, saying she looks like a 58-year-old, but Xiaxia said she had no anxiety about it and even joked about her older looks.
“I have a strong heart and a healthy body, and that is the most important thing,” she said on Douyin.
She added that she was confident her appearance will return to its former status once she finishes her hiking adventures.
Her account saw an increase of 200,000 followers after the video went viral.
Currently, about halfway through her journey, this is the second time Xiaxia has hiked towards Tibet. She spent a year hiking along the China National Highway 318 from the central Chinese province of Hubei to the Potala Palace from the end of 2021.
She told the mainland media outlet Jimu News that she first tried long-distance hiking in June 2021, from southeastern China’s Guangdong province to her hometown Hubei.
It was during the Covid-19 pandemic, and she decided to walk home because she feared public transport was “not safe”.
Xiaxia has walked a total of 10,000km.
Turning a necessity into a hobby, she said hiking is something she wants to do before she gets old because it is a good way to see the world and experience freedom. She plans to hike outside of China in the future.
She said she received a lot of encouragement and help on her journeys.
Many people gave her free food and water and provided her with free electricity to charge her power banks and hot water to wash her hair.
