China's youngest backpacker Wenwen, whose photos during a hiking journey along the dangerous Sichuan-Tibet road went viral last June when she was only 4 years old, is about to explore the primeval forests in Laos this month, and may start a desert trek in Lop Nor in September.

Wenwen's photo during a hiking trip along one of the world's most dangerous roads, the Sichuan-Tibet road. The photos went viral in 2016, when Wenwen was only 4 years old. [Photo: CGTN]

China's youngest backpacker

Only 5 years old, Wenwen has been on adventures across the country since she was 15 months old, soon after she was almost able to walk.

Without ever attending a kindergarten, the intrepid girl has already scaled the Himalayas, paraglided in Nepal, traced coastlines and experienced honey-collecting in jungles, leaving her footprints on many places in China, mostly underdeveloped mountainous regions, including "the Roof of the World", the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.

Pan Tufeng takes his daughter Wenwen(right) and his son Boru(middle) paragliding in Nepal. [Photo: 163.com]

All along the way, Wenwen was accompanied by her controversial "tiger parents", Pan Tufeng and Yuan Duan.

A family on road

The family, who hail from Shangrao in east China's Jiangxi Province, arrived on Thursday at Chendu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province. They will stop there for a short stay, before setting out on a jungle expedition in Laos to pass through virgin forests.

Wenwen's family has breakfast in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, before setting-out on a jungle expedition in Laos. [Photo: xinhuanet.com]

Wenwen's elder brother Boru, a second grade student who is on 50-days leave, will join the forthcoming journey. The boy has spent half of his last semester hiking with his parents.

Wenwen and her elder brother Boru pose for a group photo on the bank of Jinjiang River, Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province. [Photo: xinhuanet.com]

Father Pan Tufeng says he's not worried about his son's absence from school. In fact, he says he's confident about little Boru's future academic record.

Given the son scored 99 in math and 89 in Chinese in a unit exam last month, the father says he believes that knowledge from books actually comes from life and nature, saying "learning through one's owns eyes and own experience is absolutely different."

Later in September, the family plans to trek through the Lop Nor desert located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and the former salt lake is known as China's "Sea of Death."

"They (Wenwen and Boru) have been to the highlands, the seaside, but have not been to the desert. We want to let them see the desert, to understand the environment there and to know how precious water is," Pan Tufeng said.

Pan Tufeng said a car would be prepared to back them up. "I won't joke with my children's lives," the father emphasized.

A parenting approach under debate

The family's unorthodox approach to parenting has created a countrywide buzz, with supporters appreciating it as a way to broaden the children's horizons so as to teach resilience. Opponents argue there are unknown effects the "wild" experience may have on Wenwen's physical and mental well-being.

In face of their public critics, Pan Tufeng says he understands the concerns, but remains committed to his own education concepts.

He says they have no computer or television in the family home. Instead, Wenwen and her brother undergo outdoor survival training, which they have since childhood, including basic climbing skills, lighting fires and making tools.

China's youngest backpacker Wenwen shows off the sweet potato she baked with her elder brother. The two children made the fire themselves. [Photo: 163.com]

Pan Tufeng has been able to watch Wenwen grow over the past year.

"Her body is stronger. When she faces difficulties, she doesn't cry. She volunteers to do housework, and when she sees rubbish on the road, she picks it up and throws it in a bin," said Mr. Pan.

Wenwen's photo during a hiking trip along one of the world's most dangerous roads, the Sichuan-Tibet road. The photos went viral in 2016, when Wenwen was only 4 years old. [Photo: CGTN]

"Most people say kids may be too young to remember their travels when they grow up. But I think they'll remember the beautiful scenery, and the hardship on the journey will help their ability to adapt in the future," the father added.

Wenwen admits she does not remember much about her experience in Nepal, and has no idea where the country is. But the girl winked and nodded when asked whether paragliding in the sky is funny or not.

Pan and his wife run an online shop selling wild honey collected in the jungles along China's borders with Vietnam and Laos. The income is used to support their adventures.

With Wenwen's story making headlines online, the shop's business has gotten better. A number of sponsors have also approached the family. But Mr. Pan has refused them all, saying that accepting sponsorships may lead to limitations on their adventures.

Wenwen's photo during a hiking trip along one of the world's most dangerous roads, the Sichuan-Tibet road. The photos went viral in 2016, when Wenwen was only 4 years old. [Photo: CGTN]

But Pan Tufeng doesn't shy away from the attention.

"I feel it is about social responsibility now. We hope to tell people that with our own experiences that, in most cases, it is not the children who can't, but the parents who do not provide their children with the chance to prove that they can," the father said.