“Rather die on the road”: Chinese couple’s decade-long road trip defies illness

Like many baby boomers, Liu Peijin and his wife dreamed as newly-weds of a grand tour around their native China.

Marrying out of high school, Liu embarked on a long career in the military while his wife raised their children at home. As retirement beckoned and the chance for their dream trip seemed to materialize, complications with diabetes left his wife partially paralyzed, threatening to end their plans.

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 her mother’s medical needs, but time away from the hospital gradually rejuvenated her. More than a decade later, Liu says continuous travel has made his wife “100 times” more spirited.

Now wheelchair-bound with paralysis on her left side, she has avoided muscle and joint atrophy, maintained good coordination, and can communicate largely as before, though solid food is becoming a challenge.

Soon after they first set out, Liu replaced their car with a camper van, equipping it with a kitchen, two beds and a dining table. He keeps it stocked with medical supplies, serving as his wife’s full-time nurse and caregiver — ensuring she does rehabilitation exercises, takes her medicine, and enjoys regular foot soaks for diabetes.

According to the South China Morning Post, the couple have now visited 31 out of China’s 33 provinces.

Along the way, their dedication has inspired many. In 2017 in Hubei Province, local staff volunteered to hoist the woman up — wheelchair and all — and carry her across a scenic area to a sightseeing vehicle.

Liu said he cherishes such help and tries to stay in contact with those who assist them. The couple are now planning visits to lesser-known locations for their next adventure.