Hong Mei is regarded as the first Chinese female on record to backpack across all of India. Her journals from that groundbreaking adventure across the entire Indian subcontinent became her first book, “The Farther I Walk, The Closer I Get To Me” (走得越远,离自己越近), sold by Peony Literary Agency to Beijing's New Star Press (新星出版社) and published in 2014. In 2018, the second edition of Hong Mei's critically acclaimed travelogue was re-published with new photos and a new look by Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House under the new title 背包印度:一个中国女孩的冒险 ("Backpacking in India: a Chinese girl's adventure").
HONG MEI IN THE MEDIA
“The first Chinese woman to backpack across the country, she took home a year-full of memories and wrote The Farther I Walk, The Closer I Get to Me, a travelogue that is warm and full of sharp and honest observations about a country so close and yet so far away from her own.” – The Hindu
"Half a century after western hippies began backpacking from Europe to Asia on the old Silk Road, young Chinese backpackers are discovering the joys of hitting the road." - The Guardian
"Her ground breaking backpacking journey to India illustrates a growing trend among new Chinese middle classes to quit their jobs to hit the roads abroad."- Press Trust India
"Hong’s travelogue showcases the brilliant diversity of Indian life and culture, which she wrote humorously, passionately and earnestly." – Shanghai Daily
"Perhaps the experiences of married couple Tom Carter and Hong Mei, who see travel as more than just a vacation experience, can provide us a window into how a journey can change one's life." - Global Times
"Considered one of the most comprehensive travelogues of India ever written by a Chinese person." Beijing Review
"She may well be the first mainland woman to have backpacked across the country." – SCMP
"Exemplifies a new type of Chinese tourist: young, wanderlusty, and willing to abandon the guided tour for a more adventurous itinerary." - China Digital Times
"With awareness of Indian tourism set to grow even further, the publishing of Hong Mei’s account of her groundbreaking backpacking journey across India couldn’t have come at a better time." - GBTimes
"Increasing interest in unique trips has fueled the growth of a genre of travel memoirs in China covering off-the-beaten-track adventures. Among authors in this category, Chinese adventure traveler Hong Mei (洪梅) had published perhaps one of the most unique titles to date about her year traveling in India" - Jing Daily
"With the shift of ideas and emergence of well-to-do middle class, the trend of backpacking abroad has sprung up among Chinese travelers. But only a handful of them have received as rich a culture experience as Hong Mei." - China Radio International
"Hong Mei's debut travelogue takes readers on a meditative backpacking odyssey." – Asia Society
"Hong Mei and Tom Carter: the peripatetic power couple." – SmartShanghai
"在人人都在以深度和学识为卖点的时代,这本书只会老老实实地告诉你,什么地方有什么好玩好看的,哪里的建筑拍照很棒,哪里的海滩其实不咋地,全是当地人排的“地雷”;告诉你她自己是如何被忽悠去宝莱坞拍广告,在贫民窟被绑架勒索。就像是一个老朋友跟你一边喝茶,一边把她的旅行经历向你娓娓道来"。- Modern Weekly
"洪梅夫妇不是去印度一些风景名胜地“到此一游”,而是真钻了进去,甚至到了不少犄角旮旯的地方。她能一路记载旅行的艰苦,和方方面面的不适应,可是她也能迅速发现一路旅行的美丽。或许游记就该这么写,不要携带私货,夹杂某个中心思想,不要有任何先入为主,你带着一颗赤子之心去一个地方,丑的,美的,都老老实实写下来,去书写世界的本相。但这种不带使命的旅行,或许更接近旅行的本质。我们走走看看,扩大眼界,领略世界的气象万千,本身就是收获。不是所有的旅行都是出差的衍生品"。- World Journal