5-year-old Chinese boy sets foot on both the Earth’s poles

A 5-year-old boy nicknamed Simba has set foot on both the South and North poles, crossing 20 countries in the process. He is the youngest Chinese to have done so.

Simba got his nickname from the classic movie The Lion King. His parents hope their son will grow as healthy as the little lion in the film.

Simba’s father, Xu Chenghua is the owner of a water sports club in Hangzhou, and he loves extreme sports. He took Simba on an eight-day camping trip in Xinjiang when the boy was just one-and-a-half years old.

Their trip to the North Pole came from one of Simba’s wishes – to see a polar bear. In 2015, Xu got on a three-wheeled motorcycle and set off for the destination with his family. Six months later, they finally entered the Arctic Circle after crossing 12 countries, including Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Turkey, and Russia.

Simba saw polar bears on his last day in the Arctic. Xu said he had truly felt his son’s joy when Simba realized his dream. “A child’s happiness is parents’ greatest pleasure,” Xu said.

Two years later, setting forth again with his parents, Simba reached the North Pole, where he had a close contact with penguins. “We prepared two gifts for Simba, his birth and the beautiful world,” Xu said.

“The most important thing for children is to be happy, and travelling should not be utilitarian,” Xu said, hoping that what his family has done will inspire other parents when it comes to education and lifestyle.

Xu encourages Simba to challenge himself during their trips in a bid to help him identify risks and avoid irrational behavior. Whenever Simba is about to try something new, Xu assess the safety and takes precautions.

Though he stresses education on their trips, he never tries to exaggerate the significance of travelling. He said that he recorded their trips just to inspire other parents, offering another way of doing things, because he believes parents play an important role during the growth of their children.