A man born in the year 2000 has been given the moniker “uncle” – which normally denotes being middle-aged – by people on social media in China because of his weather-beaten face.
The unidentified man changed his alias on Douyin from “Traveller Taishan” to “Uncle Born After 2000” after so many people assumed he was middle-aged, Jiupai News reported.
A native of northern China’s Hebei province, the man was forced to show the media his identity card to prove he was born in December 2000.
He began looking older very quickly after hiking in northern and western China, especially the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau with its high altitude and strong ultraviolet rays.
The traveller pulls a wooden cart containing all his necessities for daily living and is accompanied by a stray dog he picked up along the way.
Before embarking on his solo journey, the man said he was too depressed to live a normal life after his girlfriend left him.
He had been dating her for a few years, during which time he was mostly at sea working on a freight ship moving around Southeast Asia.
When he heard that hiking on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau could “purify one’s mind”, he started his journey at the end of February.
The man said other backpackers called him “big brother” or “uncle” when they met him for the first time.
“I showed them my ID card and told them I was born after 2000, but some people still did not believe me,” he said.
“After some time, I accepted that some people just cannot believe that I am a guy in my 20s.”
He said his premature baldness was the result of extensive exposure to the sun while on the plateau, and that sunburn had damaged his hair follicles.
He did not shave for a long time after he realised a moustache could protect his skin.
While internet users suggested he take care of his skin and improve his unkempt look, he firmly rejected their advice.
“What’s the point of doing that? I think I am fine right now,” he said.
He is not the first person in China who has aged dramatically on a long-distance journey.
Earlier this year, the story of a 28-year-old woman nicknamed Xiaxia, trended online after she was filmed hiking on a national highway, surprising observers who thought she was 30 years older.
