The Will to Walk

LEI DIANSHENG won his place in history by committing ten years to circumnavigating the highways, deserts and plateaus of his homeland. Along the way he would stare death in the face, battling storms, starvation, wild animals, and all too often, his fellow man.

Lei’s journey brought him to the graves of his heroes, to China’s starkest frontiers and to a new understanding of what it means to be alive. In his memoir, The Will to Walk, Lei recounts the greatest heights and fiercest challenges of ten years spent off the beaten path, pursuing a dream further than anyone could have thought possible. This is a deeply human telling of the ecstatic highs and dismal lows of a near-impossible journey across stark frontiers.