In praise of slower pleasures

By middle school, he was plotting solo intercity trips, starting with a bus ride from Shenyang to Fushun in Liaoning in 2018. "It's about the experience, lingering in the street and observing everyday life," he says.

Now a junior at the Yantai University in Shandong province, Shen credits the extensive local rural-urban bus network for deepening his passion. "In Liaoning, there are few routes between cities but here, you can travel from Yantai to Weihai in Shandong for just 3 yuan," he says. His first viral video in March 2024 documented his bus trip, and unexpectedly resonated with thousands on social media. "It motivated me to keep sharing these journeys," he says.

Shen's ambitious Beijing-Hong Kong trek required days of planning. Without relying on navigation apps, he pieced together routes using map software, improvising when roads dead-ended or schedules shifted. "If a bus line was canceled, I'd detour west or backtrack to find alternatives," he says.