12,000 km handcart trip makes dream come true

Daughter hauls mother, 91, on epic journey that takes them to 11 provinces

A woman dragged her 91-year-old mother in a handcart for 12,000 km to fulfill a dream of seeing other parts of the country away from their hometown.

Retired teacher Xie Shuhua, 64, wore out 16 pairs of shoes as she hauled the cart through more than 1,000 counties in 11 provinces, giving her mother the first experience of traveling that she had craved.

"I felt sad when, one day in 2013, my mother said she had spent her whole life cooking and doing laundry and never had a chance to travel," said Xie, from Fengxian county in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province.

"Her exact words were, 'Though life is becoming better, I'm getting older, and I may never know what the world looks like outside this county'."

The family owns a car, but Xie's mother, Xu Meirong, suffers from sever emotion sickness.

"She needs to lie in bed for two or three days if she has to take a bus. So I asked myself, how can I make her dream come true?"

In April 2013, at a forum on traditional culture in Xuzhou, Xie met two brothers who had taken their mother around the country by cart.

"I immediately decided to do the same," said Xie.

A business in Shanghai donated a cart with an enclosed sleeping compartment mounted on it, and Xie and Xu began their journey in April 2013, accompanied by four other families. Their travels ended in January 2014.

Xie loaded the cart with tools to carry out repairs, as well as quilts, a portable stove and Xu's favorite types of food, such as noodles, pancakes and meat sauce.

Xu was able to lie comfortably on the quilts and enjoy the passing view through the sleeping compartment's window.

The plan was strongly opposed by other members of the family, who were concerned that Xu was too old for such a demanding journey. Some suggested that Xie should buy presents or give money instead of pulling the cart.

"But I knew that presents and money would not bring a smile to my mother's face - I had made up my mind," she said.

Xie learned to use a computer, and to reassure her relatives she posted updates on their travels on Sina Weibo and WeChat every day. She also talked to her children on the phone, sometimes running down three batteries in a single day.

They often got up at 5 am, and on average traveled 50 kilometers a day. Sometimes, if there were no restaurants nearby when they stopped, they cooked meals on the stove or had instant noodles.

"Of course it was hard, but my mother's smile is worth everything," Xie said.

At one point, when Xie had severe blisters on her feet, Xu suggested that they give up the trip.

"But I could not give up," said Xie. "My mother had to eat tree bark and willow leaves when the children were little due to a food shortage. She also worked hard to send us to school. It's now my turn to take care of her."

Xu said: "Travel makes me very happy. We had local specialties wherever we went, visited temples and met interesting people. The fish from the Yellow River tasted really good, and now I know what palm trees look like."

cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn

Xie Shuhua helps her mother, Xu Meirong, to get comfortable on the cart. Provided to China Daily