In the countryside around Peking he could, at most, catch the shadows of the mountains in the distance on a clear day. He would often ride his bicycle as far across the countryside as he could, and then let his imagination take him the rest of the way to the top of the far-away mountain peaks.
北平鄉下，天氣晴朗時，才偶能見到一抹淺淺的山影，他總愛騎著單車，往山的方向行十幾公里，迎著風，嚮往登上可望不可及的山峰。