Couple flying 80,000km in round-the-world trip
BEIJING: Judging by how a Chinese married couple named their trip around the world, ‘ On the Road’, one easily reminisces about the eponymous novel by American author Jack Kerouac.
Zhang Xinyu and Liang Hong began their across-the-globe trip on Jan 29, a day after the Chinese Lunar New Year, when most people in the country get together with their families.
Piloting a China-made aircraft Harbin Y-12, they took off from the northeastern city of Harbin and arrived in Alaska on Feb 10 after flying through Russia and the Bering Straits. Since then they’ve been travelling within the United States.
After their North America stopover, they will head down across the Equator into the Southern Hemisphere as part of an 80,000 km journey before returning to China.
Compared with Kerouac’s trans- continental trip, which appealed to readers for anecdotes of people he met, the Chinese couple’s adventure is further-reaching and more tech-savvy.
Zhang and Liang recorded most of their travels on social media, mainly on Weibo and WeChat.
The similar spirit, though, lies in the way they observed local culture with a discerning eye.
Through their eyes many Chinese followers on Weibo got a look into Anchorage, an Alaskan city known for its aircraft-friendly culture. It’s more common to see a glider than a car parked outside a house, according to Liang.
The couple has also learned from locals how to land in extreme icy weather.
They regularly release pictures throughout their trip, with their followers often in awe of the majestic natural beauty. — China Daily/ Asia News Network