Li’s heartfelt journey resonates with many, attracting 62,000 likes and over 7,000 comments, with some describing it as ‘romantic’
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenFran Luin BeijingPublished: 9:25am, 9 Aug 2026A man from southern China travelled 3,000 kilometres to search for his pen pal from 24 years ago, stirring nostalgia among many for their own youth pen pals.
Li Zhicong, around 40, hails from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and has been working in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, for over a decade.
Recently, he journeyed 3,000 km to Inner Mongolia in northern China to find his pen pal “Ice Rain,” who wrote him a letter 24 years ago.
In 2002, when he was a third-year junior secondary school student, Li met Ice Rain, a girl in the same grade living in Arun Banner, through a chat app. He sent her a letter describing the breathtaking scenery of Guilin.
Guilin’s landscapes are renowned throughout the country and are depicted on China’s 20-yuan bill. Although Li was originally from Luchuan county and had never visited Guilin at that time, he chose to paint a vivid picture of the Guilin he imagined for his new friend.
