A wheelchair, a bicycle and a dog: traveling China's heartland

NANNING - What makes a perfect journey? For Lai Min, the answer is a wheelchair, a dog and, most importantly, her other half, Ding Yizhou.

Lai, who was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia at the age of 15, is confined to a wheelchair with the genetic disease that is weakening her and will ultimately ruin her ability to move, and is highly likely to kill her.

However, she and Ding have touched many Chinese with their ambitious, romantic travel plan -- following a route that forms the shape of a heart on the map.

Three years after embarking on the journey, the couple have finished the majority of the "heart." But they are currently taking a long break as Lai's situation has deteriorated. Still, they long to hit the road again.

YOUR DREAM, ALSO MINE

Lai, from Liuzhou City in South China's Guangxi zhuang autonomous region, lost her parents and boyfriend shortly before falling for Ding.

A former tourist guide, Lai always dreamed of traveling across China."It was strange that when my condition worsened, I wanted to do that more," said Lai, 30. "Travel is a reason for me to hold on."

Since medical treatment cannot offer her a better, longer life, Ding decided to help her fulfill her dream. Later, they came up with the idea of the heart tour.

Towing Lai's wheelchair with a rope tied to his bicycle and accompanied by their dog A Bao, Ding departed from Liuzhou in January 2015, with 200 yuan (US $32) in his pocket. He makes ends meet by doing odd jobs, such as hairdressing.

A hunting dog A Ji, a gift from the couple's friend, later joined the team. They have traveled through Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Xinjiang.

"Every day on the road was fresh and new for me," Lai said.

THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE

The couple most cherish their memories of Tibet, where Ding proposed to Lai in July 2015.

"I will spend just a 10th of my life, or even shorter, being with her, while she will spend the rest of her life with me," he said.

They were attracted to the grandeur of Tibet, as well as the kindness and hospitality of the locals.

"The moment when I climbed a peak 5,000 meters above the sea level, I told myself I would rather die this way," Lai said.

"Facing such peaks and ravines, one understands how insignificant a human is," Ding said.

While romantic, their journey was often perilous.

Once, caught in the middle of nowhere, they encountered a snowstorm in Xinjiang. Ding had to request a passing car to take Lai away, leaving him and two dogs trapped in the mountains for eight days, as snow blocked the roads.

"During those days, I fed on a cow's corpse and kept warm from the dogs," Ding recalled.

He said that A Ji saved the couple twice in Qinghai, defeating several wolves and yaks. "He fought fiercely with the yaks, and led us out to safety."

In January 2017, Lai found herself pregnant, but had an abortion as tests showed the baby had inherited the mother's disease.

Even though Lai's condition is very unstable, she seldom complains and remains grateful.

"My life is like a crappy joke. But, it was the joke that brought me the best person in the world," Lai wrote in her diary.