At around 2 a.m. on the morning of July 31, several drivers on a highway in Chongqing spotted three young foreigners, all loaded down with heavy bags and looking exhausted, attempting to hitch a ride.

Some of the drivers called the police, worried for the safety of the stranded group. The police came and picked them up, bringing them to a police station and checking their passports. The group, which consisted of two men and a woman, all in their 20s, turned out to be from Russia. They had entered China two weeks before, and recently departed from Xinjiang, wishing to travel throughout China in just over a month. They carried with them daily necessities, including tents and blankets.

They took no money, and had so far traveled exclusively by hitching rides. They had been earning a bit of money by taking pictures with Chinese citizens.

The three could speak only simple Chinese. They traveled with boards that conveyed in writing the gist of their situation: “We have no money but want to continue our dream of traveling around China. We can take pictures together, and you can give us a little money.”

Local police provided the three travelers with free accommodations on Sunday night, a breakfast the next morning and 100 yuan. The police offered to drop them off at the train station, but the young people refused and again set out on their journey. They said they planned to go all the way to Guangzhou, and then north to Beijing.