A man who claims he wants to know daughter more has done the unthinkable to achieve the feat.
Zhu Chunxiao and his daughter
In a bid to spend more time with his daughter and get to know her better, a Shanghai dad, Zhu Chunxiao, has sold off his two million yuan ($300,000) house and his share of the company that he co-founded.
He is now using the money to travel the world for five years, along with his two-year-old girl.
According to him: “If I don’t keep her company now, I will lose the chance after she grows up”.
News reports show that Zhu, who is of Korean descent, lived and worked in Shanghai for the past 10 years. As a successful entrepreneur he lived a comfortable life, but he decided to give it all up to give his daughter a taste of the real world. So after three months of careful planning, he sold all his assets and decided to take off for the next five years.
The father-daughter duo started their epic road trip in August, from southern China’s Shenzhen province. Zhu drove his trailer along the coastline, stopping at different cities to allow his daughter to experience the local culture. That trip lasted 9,000 miles, until they reached northeast China’s Jilin Province in late September.
They embarked on the second leg of their journey on October 1, also from Shenzhen, this time travelling via Guangzhou and Guilin to central China’s Changsha, before heading towards southwest China’s Chongqing and Kunming. They eventually plan to reach south China’s Hainan Island.
Zhu believes that he’s providing his daughter with rich childhood experiences – right from the strangers they meet and make friends with, to having her learn about the world intuitively. He plans to spend the first year of his sabbatical traveling in China, and the next four years to other countries around the world.
Many people have criticised Zhu for his impulsive decision. But his reasons are clear – he doesn’t want his kid to grow up without a father figure. “In the eyes of a child, having a father to accompany them through childhood is the most important thing,” he said. He admits that the RV isn’t as comfortable as their old home, but believes that the experience will be worth it.
“We shall look for joy and happiness on this life journey,” he said. He’s apparently also on the lookout for business opportunities on the side!