Beijing:
A man in China took his wheelchair-bound mother to the holiday destination of her dream by undertaking an arduous 3,500 km journey on foot in 100 days.
Fan Meng, 26, took his mother Kou Minjun all the way from Beijing to Xishuangbanna prefecture, in Yunnan province. The act earned him a widespread online appreciation, Xinhua reported.
The 3,500-km slog allowed Kou, suffering from infantile paralysis and had not left Beijing for many years, fulfil a long cherished dream of visiting Xishuangbanna about which she had learned through TV programmes and newspapers.
But "without my son, I was afraid I could never have made it here", she said.
Kou has been living with her only son, Fan, since being divorced 10 years ago. She depends on a combination of government subsidies and relatives' help to make ends meet.
On July 11, the mother, the son, who resigned from his job as salesperson in an electronics firm for her, and their pet dog left their home in Beijing's Chaoyang district and started off their long journey.
The mother and son followed highways through the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan. To sleep, they bunked down in their own tent or at cheap hotels.
They were treated for meals by many warm-hearted locals and offered free hotel stays.
For security, Fan carried a knife to counter robbers. But he came across kind people along the way. The trip cost him about 8,000 yuan (about $1,270).
As the trio arrived on Thursday, they were warmly welcomed by residents' ethnic dances and songs.
Along the way, Fan kept a blog, which was avidly followed by netizens.
"I feel my son has become more mature along the journey," said the mother.