From Wok to Wheels: Chinese Vendor Cooks His Way from Shanghai to Xizang

With the electric motor humming and an iron wok rattling in the back, Jiang Chuanpeng steered his three-wheeled food truck west out of Lhasa, heading for Mount Qomolangma Base Camp.

The destination was nearly 600 kilometers away. His top speed was 25 kilometers per hour.

It was the latest stage of an unlikely journey that began five months earlier in Shanghai, where Jiang set off with a stove, a bed and a plan to cook his way across China.

His wife, Tan Yunyan, saw him off with two small fireworks and transferred him 6,666 yuan (US$991), a sum chosen because the number six is associated with good fortune in Chinese culture.

By the time Jiang reached Lhasa on August 18, he had traveled for 146 days, earned about 60,000 yuan and become an online personality known as the "Hunan Fried Noodle Brother," Jimu News reported.

The 37-year-old, originally from Shaoyang in central China's Hunan Province, had spent seven years selling fried rice and noodles in Suzhou, about 100 kilometers away from Shanghai.

Business had once been strong. Jiang said he could make more than 1,000 yuan in five or six hours, with daily sales occasionally reaching 5,000 yuan. But as competition intensified, he sometimes had to work 15 hours to earn what he once made in half the time.

Jiang wanted a new way to make money. He also dreamed of traveling along National Highway 318, the famous road stretching west from Shanghai toward Xizang.

But he had elderly parents and children to support.

"If I simply left to travel and ignored everything, that would be irresponsible," he said.

His solution was to combine work with adventure.

Jiang bought an electric tricycle for 13,000 yuan and spent four months converting it into a mobile kitchen and home. The finished vehicle cost about 80,000 yuan.

He installed a stove, refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner and a narrow bed. A 36,000-yuan battery extended the vehicle's range from about 20 kilometres to more than 150 kilometres. Nine cameras provided security and material for his social media videos.

His wife worried about the distance and the dangers of traveling alone. But she knew how hard her husband had worked to support the family and agreed to give him a year to pursue his dream.

Before his departure on March 26, she packed bedding, clothing for every season, medicine, snacks, milk and sunscreen.

"All I want is for him to be safe and happy," she said.

The journey did not follow Jiang's original plan. Instead of heading directly west, he passed through several provinces in eastern, central and southern China.

When an earthquake struck Liuzhou in May, he diverted there and cooked free meals for residents in the affected area. Local coverage of the gesture earned him his nickname.

Jiang later returned to Highway 318 and continued toward Xizang, selling fried rice, fried noodles and rice noodles for between 10 and 20 yuan a serving.

His menu depended on locally available ingredients, while his prices generally matched those charged by nearby vendors.

Over five months, Jiang recorded about 100,000 yuan in sales and kept around 60,000 yuan after expenses. He sent roughly 50,000 yuan home to Tan.

His arrival in Lhasa coincided with his 37th birthday on the Chinese lunar calendar. By then, followers were tracking his journey online and traveling to his stall for a meal.

Jiang plans to sell food near Mount Qomolangma for five days before beginning the journey home. He hopes to leave Xizang before the snow arrives and return to Shaoyang before the Lunar New Year.

Tan, once uneasy about the trip, now sees the mobile stall as a possible shared future.

"If he becomes too busy to manage alone," she said, "I can leave my job and go with him."