With the demands of work schedules, many people choose to live close to their jobs to avoid the stress of long commutes. However, Lin Shu, a 31-year-old newly married man in China, has taken a different route by enduring a 320-kilometre round-trip journey every day just to be with his wife. His heartwarming story has captured the attention of the online world. According to South China Morning Post, Lin has shared several videos of his lengthy journey on Douyin, the Chinese video-sharing platform, calling it “the longest commute distance”.
As per SCMP, Lin’s daily routine begins at the crack of dawn. Residing in Weifang, Shandong province in eastern China, he wakes up at 5 AM and starts his daily commute by departing from his home at 5:20 AM. Lin’s journey includes a 30-minute e-bike ride to the station where he catches a train at around 6:15 AM. He then arrives at Qingdao in the eastern part of Shandong at 7:46 AM after which he takes a 15-minute underground subway trip to reach his office.
Lin manages to grab breakfast at his company’s canteen before his work begins at 9 AM. After work, his commute back to home takes another three or four hours covering a distance of 160 kilometres between Qingdao and his residence in Weifang.
The online users were astonished by the amount of time Lin dedicates to his daily commute. Despite the surprise from the internet users, Lin said it was all worth it “because of love.” As per SCMP, an online user calculated that Lin’s daily commute costs approximately 1,600 yuan (over Rs 18,000) a month.
Before getting married in May, Lin and his wife had been in a relationship for seven years. His wife is from Weifang in Shandong province and the couple had purchased a flat there so she could have a “sense of security.” Although Lin previously rented an apartment an hour away from his workplace, he said he wanted to spend more time with his wife. He also noted that renting a flat in Qingdao was more expensive.
Lin works at Haier, a Chinese home appliance company known for being a good employer. Lin revealed that his long commute is temporary because his wife is currently searching for a job in Qingdao and they intend to move there if she is successful. He also mentioned that he finds the commute manageable due to “the convenience of intercity transport.” He added that his manager is understanding and does not expect him to work overtime considering his travel situation.
Lin’s story has garnered significant attention online, accumulating 7 million views on Douyin, reported SCMP.
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