Han Shigui sand Shi Shuzhi, a retired couple from Heilongjiang province, simplyrefuse to give into aging and began travelling back in 2003 and can just take off on a trip going wherever they want, whenever they want, from Shangdong province to Hubei province, to Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Hainan province, all over China, spending their days in different places. 

Shigui even splurged and bought a camper last year so he could hit the road side-by-side with his wife.

And the most fun part of it is?

"Keeping in good health,” he says, “And enjoying life,” she says.

When they get to a new place they tend to stay for a while, especially in those longevity villages, and, as they both explain, “We’ve been to about 50 longevity villages, such as Laizhou in Shandong province, and Bama in Guangxi,” then say they spent almost half a year in one village in Hainan, exploring the secrets of long life.

The couple take a photo in front of their camper. [Photo provided to my399]

For Han 76, and Shi 78, the sheer joy of travel and experiencing nature and life this way far outweighs the headaches and, thanks to the camper, “if we were able to go, we get started.”

The camper is a specially-tailored one, or Shi’s words, their “mobile home”, with all the comforts of home so they don’t really need to worry about renting an apartment or house, if they stay for a period of time.

Han Shigui working at a plot in Hainan province. [Photo provided to my399]

And there is always their supportive son to lend a hand if they need a driver.

You could even say that they’re giving retirement a new complexion and, in any case, "We want change. We embrace change. And we want to go to more places. And I made a commitment to my wife that I would take her to every single part of China if we stay healthy.”