Xinjiang men drive eight days to send back a truck

Two Xinjiang men moved netizens after driving 4,700 kilometers day and night to send back a truck for free, CCTV reported.

Maimaiti and Mansour are truck drivers in Korla, Xinjiang. They got to know Zhao Xulei, a truck driver from East China's Jiangsu province, and his wife, when they were doing cotton transportation business in Xinjiang.

On Nov 17, Zhao had an accident while loading goods, leaving his left eye blind.

When Mansour got the news, he helped Zhao contact hospitals. Learning that Zhao needed to be transferred to a hospital in Beijing for further treatment, he said to the couple: "How about I drive your truck back to your hometown?"

The couple was deeply moved by his kind offer.

So Zhao and his wife set off to Beijing while Mansour and Maimaiti hit the road to Zhao's hometown Peixian county in Jiangsu.

The cost for the 4,700 km trip is estimated to be more than 10,000 yuan ($1,569), so Mansour and Maimaiti loaded the truck with goods which needed to be transported to Jiangsu to offset part of the expense. Mansour said that they would pay for the rest and would not let Zhao spend a penny.

Mansour and Maimaiti started the trip after breakfast on Dec 9 and arrived in Peixian on Dec 17.

They planned to return to Xinjiang right away but Zhao persuaded them to stay for a while so he could thank them face to face.

Two days later, Zhao returned to Peixian from Beijing, treated them with hospitality and showed them around to local scenic spots.

"My friend was in difficulty, so I should help him," said Mansour. "We are of different ethnic groups but we are a family."