A hipster road trip through China in the year of COVID

Being unable to travel abroad triggered an urge to explore China from the inside

Xiao Mo and her husband A Hou and the specially rigged camper van they are using to explore China's Highway 318. "This route goes through 30 degrees north latitude," says A Hou. "As I am turning 30 this year, we thought it would be a special way to celebrate." (Photo courtesy of Xiao Mo and A Hou)

LIN WANG, Contributing writer

October 19, 2020 08:00 JST

SHANGHAI -- Waking up recently to the sound of heavy rain drumming down on her camper van, Xiao Mo opened the curtain onto a vast green wave of wheat. Stretching as she breathed in the fresh air, Xiao Mo broke into song.

"Will I disturb the rabbits sleeping there?" Xiao Mo joked with her husband A Hou, who was already preparing coffee. Since August, the couple have been driving along China's National Highway 318, perhaps the most scenic route recommended by the Chinese National Geography magazine.