Unlike many of the thousands aiming to cross US-Mexico border illegally each day, Wang Qun was not fleeing poverty or violence south of the wall. 9News
From the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Wang left his family behind to travel thousands of kilometres by plane, bus, boat and motorcycle. He trekked through deep jungles and across barren mountains, and spent days in multiple detention centres, all in pursuit of freedom and opportunities in the United States.
Under Xi, the ruling Communist Party has touted its political model as superior to Western democracies, citing Beijing's ability to swiftly stamp out Covid outbreaks as further proof that China is rising and the US is in decline. After graduating from a vocational high school in 2008, Wang worked in graphic design for a few years in eastern Zhejiang province. Frustrated by low wages and stagnant career growth, he switched to online retail, riding a boom in China's internet sector.
But his work, marriage and family life kept him busy, and Wang didn't go out of his way to search for opportunities to emigrate. The Chinese government has also banned citizens from going overseas for "non-essential" reasons. Travel is only permitted for resuming work, study, business, and scientific research, or seeking medical care.
It took Wang two flight stopovers to reach Quito, from where he rode buses for more than 1000 miles to a coastal town in Colombia. He then took a boat to Panama with dozens of other migrants. He was excited by the ride, taking a selfie video with passengers sitting behind him, who laughed, cheered and gave the thumbs up.
At the camp, Wang found refugees from around the world. From there, he spent seven days on buses to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, then took another boat ride to Mexico's border, where he was detained by police for illegal entry. "I want my kids to receive better education," he said, adding that the patriotic education taught in Chinese schools was "brainwashing" his children.Wang's journey to America may be rare and extreme, but he is not the only one taking the treacherous path.
Discussion forums with detailed tips on how to leave China have gone viral on social media, and immigration lawyers say inquiries from Chinese wanting to leave have surged during the pandemic. He didn't pay much attention and stepped right over it. It was not until 10 minutes later that he realised the wire marked the border and smiled with relief - he had finally made it to America.
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