The Rebel Who Chose Mountains Over Examinations

In the fifteenth year of the Wanli era (1587), when most Chinese scholars were busy memorizing Confucian classics for civil service examinations, a child named Xu Hongzu was born in Jiangyin who would defy all conventions of his time. While his contemporaries measured their worth by examination rankings and official posts, Xu would measure his in mountain peaks crossed and rivers forded. This was the man history would remember as Xu Xiake, China’s greatest travel writer and geographer, though he never sought such titles.

Xu’s unconventional path began in childhood. While other children played traditional games, young Xu wandered through the countryside, climbing every hill and wading every stream he encountered. His parents, remarkably progressive for their era, encouraged his wanderlust rather than punishing his lack of interest in the examination system that had dominated Chinese society for centuries. This tolerance stemmed from family history – ninety years earlier, Xu’s ancestor Xu Jing had been implicated in an examination cheating scandal involving the famous Tang Bohu (Tang Yin), leaving the family disillusioned with the system.

The Making of a Wandering Scholar

Xu’s early travels focused on Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces – places like Purple Mountain, Tai Lake, and Putuo Mountain. But soon his horizons expanded dramatically to include Huangshan, Lushan, Wuyi Mountain and other legendary peaks. What makes his story extraordinary isn’t just where he went, but how he traveled: with almost no money, often alone, and with minimal equipment.

Unlike wealthy travelers who moved with entourages, Xu traveled like a peasant. He walked most routes, rarely rode horses, slept outdoors more often than not, and carried simple provisions that could last him a week. His only significant expense was hiring local guides to navigate dangerous terrain. This frugality allowed him to sustain what should have been impossible – near-constant travel on a middle-class family’s means.

A Mother’s Unusual Blessing

In Confucian society, Xu’s lifestyle invited criticism. He rejected marriage, career, and filial duties – the pillars of respectable life. Yet his greatest supporter was his mother, who famously told him: “A man should have ambitions beyond the four walls of his home. Go and broaden your horizons between heaven and earth!” This blessing, so contrary to the Confucian ideal of “parents alive, children don’t travel far,” freed Xu to pursue his passion.

From age twenty, Xu spent over two decades traversing Ming China. His journeys took him through thirteen provinces, from the northeastern frontiers to the southwestern wilderness. He climbed all five sacred mountains (Taishan, Huashan, Hengshan, Songshan, and Yuelushan) and explored the sources of major rivers like the Yangtze and Yellow River. His adventures included surviving bandit attacks, near-starvation, and getting caught in local conflicts between indigenous groups and Ming forces.

The Pilgrimage That Defined a Life

In 1636, at age fifty, Xu embarked on his final journey after meeting a monk named Jingwen. The monk wished to worship at Jizu Mountain in Yunnan but feared traveling alone through the dangerous terrain. Xu agreed to accompany him, though the route was brutal – through Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan and finally Yunnan.

Tragedy struck on the Xiang River when bandits attacked. Though Xu fought them off, Jingwen was mortally wounded. Most would have turned back, especially after losing travel funds in the attack. But Xu made an extraordinary decision – he would carry Jingwen’s ashes to Jizu Mountain as promised. For months, he trekked through some of China’s most unforgiving landscapes with the monk’s remains, often surviving on wild plants after pawning his belongings.

After fulfilling his promise, Xu didn’t return home but pushed further – across the Kunlun Mountains into Tibet. The journey broke his health. He died in 1641 at fifty-four, leaving behind travel notes that would become the 400,000-word “Xu Xiake’s Travels,” still considered China’s greatest geographical work.

More Than Geography: The Philosophy of Xu Xiake

Xu’s story transcends exploration. Unlike imperial emissaries like Zhang Qian or Xuanzang who traveled on state missions, Xu journeyed as a private citizen, funding himself, answering to no one. His dying words captured this spirit: “They traveled the world by imperial command. I’m just a commoner, with my bamboo hat, walking stick, and straw sandals. I traveled freely and so die without regret.”

This philosophy – living authentically despite societal expectations – makes Xu’s legacy timeless. In an era obsessed with rank and reputation, he valued experience over achievement. His life asks a profound question Western mountaineer George Mallory would echo centuries later when asked why climb Everest: “Because it’s there.”

Xu’s travels produced invaluable geographical records, but his true gift was demonstrating that fulfillment comes not from external validation but from answering one’s inner call. In a society then (and often still) defining success narrowly, Xu Xiake’s life remains the ultimate counterpoint – proof that sometimes, the greatest journey is living exactly as one chooses.