Indian adventures

For many Chinese, India is a land of mystery, but one couple traveled China's southern neighbor and wrote a book about their experiences. Xing Yi reports.

With a vast territory, large population and diverse culture, India is similar to China in many ways, yet for most Chinese people, the southern neighbor seems so near and so far, so familiar yet so unknown.

Daunted by the humid and hot weather, crowded traffic and complex languages, few Chinese would put India in their list of backpacking destinations. But Hong Mei, 34, is one among the few.