Like any pair of baby boomers in America, Liu Peijin and his wife dreamed as newly-weds of a grand tour around their native China.
Marrying out of high school, they had a normal enough life—with Mr. Liu embarking on a long career in the military, and his wife raising children at home.
But as retirement age beckoned and the chance for their dream road trip seemed to materialize, complications with diabetes left Liu’s wife partially paralyzed, and the prospects of a road trip around one of the world’s largest countries in tatters.
Or so it seemed. After agreeing they “would rather die on the road than in a hospital bed,” the couple set out in their car across coastal Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in 2014.
Their daughter initially objected due to the medical needs of her mother, but the time away from hospital gradually rejuvenated the woman. Now years later, Mr. Liu has said their time continuously exploring the Middle Kingdom has made his wife “100 times” more spirited.
Over a decade later and she has avoided muscle and joint atrophy despite being wheelchair bound from paralysis on her left side. She’s maintained good coordination, and can communicate largely as before, though solid food is becoming a slightly greater challenge.
It wasn’t long after they first set out that Liu managed to replace the car with a camper van, which he equipped with a kitchen, two beds, and a dining table. He keeps it stocked with medical supplies as he essentially has become the woman’s full-time nurse and caregiver, ensuring she does rehabilitation exercises, takes her medicine, and enjoys regular foot soaks for diabetes.
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At publishing time according to an article on their travels in South China Morning Post, the couple have, like the metaphorical boomers in their Winnebago visiting almost all 50 states, made it to 31 out of 33 Chinese provinces.
Throughout all of them, people have been inspired by Liu’s dedication, and the couple’s bravery to shirk elderly convention. In 2017, in Hubei Province, local staff volunteered to hoist the woman up—wheelchair and all—and carry her across a scenic area to the only sightseeing vehicle.
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Liu told local news outlets that he cherishes this kind of help, and tries to maintain contact with people when he’s able.
The couple are currently planning a visit to some lesser-known locations across the country for their next adventure.
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