A 28-year-old Chinese international student named Xu Guangli has captured attention online due to his extraordinary weekly commute between China and Australia for three months, motivated by his desire to be with his girlfriend.
From August to October, Xu traveled every week between Dezhou, a third-tier city in Shandong province, and Melbourne, where he is completing his master’s degree in arts management at RMIT University. The round trip spanned three days: he left home at 7 a.m., traveled to Jinan for a flight with a layover to Melbourne, attended his weekly class the next day, and returned to China on the third day.
In an interview with Dazhong Daily, Xu explained that it was his final semester, requiring only one class per week to graduate. However, the main reason for his frequent travels was his girlfriend, who had finished her studies in Australia and returned to China earlier in the year. Xu described life in Melbourne as lonely without her and decided to undertake the taxing commute for love.
Having lived in Australia for eight years, Xu also wanted to explore China’s domestic work environment as he planned for his future career. He documented his travels on social media, attracting nearly 10,000 followers. In one video, he broke down the cost of each trip: approximately 6,700 yuan (US$930), including 4,700 yuan for the flight, along with taxi and meal expenses. During his single night in Melbourne each week, he stayed on a friend’s couch.
Despite the high cost of the trips exceeding the 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) he used to spend monthly on rent in Melbourne, Xu said the sacrifices were worthwhile for his girlfriend and the comfort of home-cooked meals. He frequently booked flights with different airlines, using layovers as an opportunity to visit various Chinese cities and even Vietnam.
Xu completed his studies at the end of October and noted he no longer needed to travel to Australia. His dedication left many on social media astonished. Comments ranged from admiration for his commitment to disbelief at the effort involved.
“I’ve never seen such devotion to love,” one commenter wrote, while another remarked, “I wouldn’t travel such distances every week; it’s exhausting.” Others joked that even commuting between neighboring cities wouldn’t tempt them to such lengths.
