Hong Mei's (洪梅) debut travelogue, The Farther I Walk, The Closer I Get To Me (走得越远,离自己越近), takes readers on a meditative backpacking odyssey across the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent over the course of a year.
Hong is recognized as the first Chinese woman on record to have backpacked across all of India, for which Asian Age has called her a "modern Faxian."
The book's Chinese-language narrative recounts how Hong's adventurous spirit steered her off the beaten path of tourism and deep into the country and its customs. Encountering Maoist insurgents in Orissa, performing in a Bollywood production alongside superstar Aamir Khan, befriending India's Hijra community, and being kidnapped - and subsequently arrested - in the Dharavi slums are among her many unique experiences.
Written from the unique perspective of a young Chinese woman of the 1980s generation, and heralding the transformative nature of independent travel, Hong's groundbreaking journey and book have been covered extensively in the international media. Husband Tom Carter, the critically acclaimed photographer and author of CHINA: Portrait of a People, adds a wonderful dimension with his numerous beautiful photographs.
Hong Mei's (洪梅) debut travelogue, The Farther I Walk, The Closer I Get To Me (走得越远,离自己越近), takes readers on a meditative backpacking odyssey across the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent over the course of a year.
Hong is recognized as the first Chinese woman on record to have backpacked across all of India, for which Asian Age has called her a "modern Faxian."
The book's Chinese-language narrative recounts how Hong's adventurous spirit steered her off the beaten path of tourism and deep into the country and its customs. Encountering Maoist insurgents in Orissa, performing in a Bollywood production alongside superstar Aamir Khan, befriending India's Hijra community, and being kidnapped - and subsequently arrested - in the Dharavi slums are among her many unique experiences.
Written from the unique perspective of a young Chinese woman of the 1980s generation, and heralding the transformative nature of independent travel, Hong's groundbreaking journey and book have been covered extensively in the international media. Husband Tom Carter, the critically acclaimed photographer and author of CHINA: Portrait of a People, adds a wonderful dimension with his numerous beautiful photographs.