When they departed, they were an ordinary Zhongshan pair: a stressed business owner and a wife who relied on a cane.

Returning 13 years and more than 1,000 flights later, they became one of China's rarest couples to visit 233 countries and regions worldwide.

Zheng Zhixiong, 63, runs a packaging firm in Zhongshan. In 2012, seeking stress relief, he and his wife Huang Ruizhen took their first international trip to South Korea. 

In October 2025, they reached South Pacific island nation Niue, the final stop in their "world's edge" quest.

Initially just brief escapes, their travels evolved into a bold world-spanning vision after 30-40 nations. "Independent travel enabled deeper immersion," Zheng notes. 

The 7-million-yuan journey yielded a large number of souvenirs, artworks and currencies. Zheng now plans to convert an overseas Chinese house into a private museum, sharing his travel stories with all.