There are many ways to express love, but Ding Yizhou chose one that few would adopt: following a heart-shaped itinerary around China with his girlfriend, who uses a wheelchair.
Ding, 27, embarked on his trek from his hometown of Liuzhou, in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Jan 3. He estimated the trip would take three years to complete.
The journey resulted from a wish by Ding's girlfriend, Lai Ming. She was diagnosed with hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia when she was 21. The progressive, degenerative disease has left 28-year-old Lai unable to walk.
Ding, a primary school classmate of Lai's, found out last year that her condition had deteriorated. He contacted her after noticing that she had signed off on a QQ instant-messaging post by saying, "How will my friends be if I die someday?"
Out of compassion, Ding came to take care of Lai. The two gradually fell in love.
To help with the treatment of Lai's disease, Ding spent all of his savings. He even bought lottery tickets in the hope of winning a fortune to cover the expenses. Despite his efforts, Lia's situation didn't improve.
Lai once told Ding that she would rather go out and use a camera to record her visits to places across China, rather than simply stay put and wait to die. That inspired Ding to come up with the idea for his adventure.
He began to prepare for the trip in November and spent about 16 days modifying his girlfriend's wheelchair to make it more suitable for a long-distance journey. He installed a shelf on the wheelchair for such necessities as food, water and an umbrella.
Ding decided to use an Old English sheepdog to pull the wheelchair, while he rode a mountain bike.
As they hit the road, Ding had just 200 yuan (S$42.96), which he thought would last them for a couple of weeks.
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Couple follow their hearts in epic journey of love