To walk fast, walk alone; to walk far, walk together

Nine months ago, I made a New Year's resolution to go on 20-kilometer walks at least 20 times this year after I managed to cover that distance in suburban Brussels on Jan 1.

I posted my resolution on WeChat, a Facebook-like social media platform. Throwing a challenge at me after coming across my posting, my friend Alice Choi, Hong Kong's deputy representative of economics and trade in Brussels, urged me to join a 100-km Oxfam trail initiative at the end of August in the mountainous forests and reserved grasslands of Belgium, which borders German.

The basic idea, she said, was to form a team of four hikers to complete the distance in less than 30 hours to help raise funds for people in poor countries. I liked the challenge of the dual-purpose plan and felt honored to be of some help to people in need. I was confident of enduring the tough trek because I have the experience of walking long distances in my mountainous hometown in Sichuan province from the age of 10.