What I like about "The Round Table" is that the show is lighthearted, witty and deep. A "frog in the well" like me doesn't have much opportunity to see the big world, but "The Round Table" will take the audience to poetry and distant places from time to time.

Just like in this issue, the writer Liu Zichao, who was born in 1984, was a guest on the Roundtable and talked to us about some "Stan" stories.

He went deep into the hinterland of Central Asia alone and wrote the best-selling book "The Lost Satellite-A Journey Deep into the Central Asian Continent", so Dou Wentao, Xu Zidong, and Zhou Yijun had conversations with him.

Everyone had a heated discussion on the difference between travel and tourism.

From what I heard, the main points are as follows.

When traveling alone, one’s thoughts are free, the process is arduous, and the experience is profound.

When traveling as a group of people, there is almost no need to think, the process is comfortable and the experience is shallow.

Liu Zichao said that when a person walks alone in the Pamir Plateau, Gobi, desert, or desolate town, one can play many roles and be many different people, which can be compared to real life. Poorer or richer, more ordinary or different.

When traveling on the road, people are free. People don’t know what kind of person you are before, and they don’t care what kind of person you will be in the future. It only makes an impression on you at that moment. Therefore, in a strange environment, people are more bold and dare to do things that acquaintances do not dare to do in society.

Moreover, traveling is arduous. On the way, he may face lack of food and clothing, or even face danger to his life. Without the help of local herdsmen during a snowstorm, he may be in great danger. Therefore, traveling requires direct and in-depth contact with the local environment and local people.

Liu Zichao said that that day he was at a lake in a certain country of Stan, and was lost in thought at the beautiful scenery. Two beauties picnicking by the lake stopped him and invited him to have a drink. When invited by the locals, he did not refuse, feeling that he could delve into some stories. So he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. The beauties were surprised by his generosity and asked him if his drinking behavior had European upbringing. They thought that local men had poor drinking behavior, while European men had better behavior after drinking. Liu Zichao said that he had a Chinese upbringing. Chinese people don't often get drunk and don't often beat women.

Hearing this, Dou Wentao came up with his old joke again. He said that he was like Xianglin's wife no less than 100 times. When he was in his 20s, during the summer vacation of his sophomore year, he fell out of love. After the breakup, in order to relieve his depression, he walked alone for more than 20 days with 80 yuan in his pocket, staying overnight in a farmhouse and eating sesame cakes. He said that even if he died, he would not take such a painful trip, but the impression of that trip has always been in his mind, and he still feels excited when he thinks about it.

Compared with traveling, the tourism experience is much shallower, and you have almost no contact with the locals. You can go straight to the attractions and shopping malls and enjoy the joy of checking in and spending; traveling is often comfortable, with family and friends Appreciating the natural scenery, cultural landscape, and local food in other places, it is rare to connect with local people.

So Dou Wentao finally sublimated it, saying that this is not about exploring travel and tourism, but about how to live life? Is it to live a comfortable life, like a well-arranged trip? Or is it like practicing asceticism, taking one step at a time, stepping out on your own, facing the wind, frost, rain and snow?

There is no doubt that most people will choose comfort, but the little fire in their hearts that wants to get out will not go out. Zhou Yijun said that at her age, friends around her are all "going out", becoming a monk, running away from home, or cheating. Why do they want to go out? It's just to find freedom and profound experience.

Some people have no choice but to "get out" and have no choice but to place their hopes on others.

Therefore, books like Liu Zichao's who walk alone can sell well, like others Take a walk on your behalf.

PS: The Round Table’s advertising is really good, and this book has also been added to my reading list.