'It was a dream to push mum across China'

Fan Meng, 26, made headlines across the mainland recently for pushing his wheelchair-bound mother, Kou Minjun, more than 3,500 kilometres in a three-month odyssey from Beijing to Yunnan. His dedication touched many and some media outlets even described him as a new model of filial piety. The Beijinger said he was just taking his mother for a long vacation.

I was at a low point in my life. I'd had surgery on my left knee. My grandmother had died. A relationship went bad. My job was difficult. Even though the doctor warned me that I needed to pay special attention to the knee until August, I took off anyway [on July 11]. I felt I would die if I didn't get out for a change. I was not a fan of trekking but I felt like a long vacation would take the pressure off my mind. It's like a test for me. Now I feel so much better and the trip has transformed me. I think I can handle difficulty more calmly, like there is no hardship I can't overcome.

At that time there were only the two of us staying together. I asked my mother whether she would like to join me on a trip to the big grasslands of Inner Mongolia. She said yes, but wanted to go to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan instead. She had never travelled that far before because of her polio. We thought about it and discussed it for a day-and-a-half and then we started the journey. We only informed the others after we were on the way because we were worried the family would object to it. My friends said I took their dreams with me as well.