Chen recently returned to his hometown of Zhuji in eastern China’s Zhejiang province after completing his ambitious global tour, which ended with a trip to Peru. For 53-year-old Chinese businessman Chen Jinwei, travelling the world was never just a holiday dream. Over 33 years, he visited 233 countries, territories and regions, turning a few trips in the 1990s into a lifelong journey of exploration. Reports say only around 70 people in China have previously travelled to 233 countries, territories and regions.
He often divided his time between home and travel, typically spending a month managing his business and family before heading abroad for another month.
But he never completely stepped away from his work or family to pursue his passion. Instead, he often divided his time between home and travel, typically spending a month managing his business and family before heading abroad for another month. With the internet still in its early days, Chen wanted to see the world for himself rather than rely on books or secondhand accounts. That first trip eventually sparked a much bigger ambition. He deliberately took on some of the world’s more difficult destinations early in his journey, including the polar regions. Reaching Antarctica took two attempts. However, the trip had to be abandoned after the vessel suffered a power failure and began emitting black smoke on the third day. Tokelau, a remote territory of New Zealand, proved to be an even bigger challenge. He tried again this year and finally reached Tokelau, describing the experience as incredibly exciting. His travels were not without risks. Chen contracted malaria while in Africa and experienced an earthquake in Greece. For Chen, travelling was also about more than collecting destinations. He tried to spend as much time as possible in each place, learning about local cultures instead of simply visiting famous tourist attractions. Xu Xiake, a famous geographer and explorer of China’s Ming dynasty, is often regarded as one of the country’s earliest great travel writers. He had straightforward advice for people who want to explore the world, “Don’t wait. Time waits for no man. Now, Chen aims to spend more quality time with his children and parents.
Though there are 195 officially recognised countries in the world, some organisations count up to 233 or more by including dependent territories, regions, and special areas. The owner of a machinery company, Chen, spent around 10 million yuan (approximately Rs 14 lakh) on his travels, as per South China Morning Post . His journey began in 1993, when he travelled to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. In November 2015, Chen set off aboard the French expedition cruise ship Le Boréal. He returned in January 2016 and successfully reached Antarctica. Chen had carefully planned his trip and travelled to New Zealand in 2019, but a public health emergency forced him to cancel the journey. Along the way, he collected currencies from 198 countries and later donated the collection to the Xu Xiake Memorial Hall. Looking back on his 33-year journey, Chen sees a strong connection between travelling and running a business.
Such experiences, he said, taught him to remain calm and focus on finding solutions when things go wrong. “Regardless of the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, just persevere in whatever you do,” he said.
