自驾游网红获得自由的一年

Sixty-year-old Chinese grandmother Su Min had no intention of becoming a feminist icon.

60 岁的中国奶奶苏敏原本无意成为一名女权主义偶像。

She was only trying to escape her abusive husband when she hit the road in 2020 in her white Volkswagen hatchback with a rooftop tent and her pension.

2020 年，她开着自己那辆带有车顶帐篷的白色大众两厢车，带着养老金踏上旅途，当时她只是想逃离对她施虐的丈夫。

"I felt like I could finally catch my breath," she says, recalling the moment she drove away from her old life. "I felt like I could survive and find a way of life that I wanted."

“我感觉自己终于能喘口气了，” 她回忆起驾车驶离往日生活的那一刻说道，“我觉得自己能够活下去，并且找到一种自己想要的生活方式。”

Over the next four years and 180,000 miles, the video diaries she shared of her adventures, while detailing decades of pain, earned her millions of cheerleaders online. They called her the "road-tripping auntie" as she inadvertently turned into a hero for women who felt trapped in their own lives.

在接下来的四年时间里，行程达 18 万英里，她分享的那些关于自己冒险经历的视频日记，在详述了数十年痛苦经历的同时，让她在网上收获了数百万支持者。他们称她为 “自驾游阿姨”，而她不经意间成了那些感觉自己被困在生活中的女性心目中的英雄。

Her story is now a hit film that was released in September - Like a Rolling Stone – and she made it to the BBC's list of 100 inspiring and influential women of 2024.

她的故事如今被拍成了一部热门电影，名为《像一块滚石》，该电影于 9 月上映。而且，她还入选了英国广播公司评选的 2024 年百位鼓舞人心且颇具影响力的女性名单。

It was a year of big moments, but if she had to describe what 2024 meant to her in a single word, she says that word would be "freedom".

这是充满重大时刻的一年，但如果她必须用一个词来描述 2024 年对她而言意味着什么，她说这个词会是 “自由”。

As soon as Su Min started driving, she felt freer, she told the BBC over the phone from Shenyang – just before she headed south for winter in her new SUV with a caravan.

苏敏刚一开始自驾游，就感觉更自由了。她在沈阳通过电话告诉英国广播公司，当时她正准备开着她那辆带着房车的新越野车南下过冬。

But it wasn't until 2024, when she finally filed for divorce, that she experienced "another kind of freedom".

但直到 2024 年，当她终于申请离婚时，她才体验到了 “另一种自由”。

It took a while to get there: it's a complicated process in China and her husband refused to divorce her until she agreed to pay him. They settled on 160,000 yuan ($21,900; £17,400) but she is still waiting for the divorce certificate to come through.

走到这一步花了些时间：在中国，离婚是个复杂的过程，而且她丈夫拒绝和她离婚，除非她同意给钱。他们商定了 16 万元（约合 2.19 万美元；1.74 万英镑），但她仍在等待离婚证办下来。

But she is resolute that she doesn't want to look back: "I'm saying goodbye to him."

但她心意已决，不想再回头，她说：“我要和他告别了。”

In her new life on the road, Su Min's duty is to herself.

在她新的旅途生活中，苏敏只为自己负责。

Her videos mostly feature only her. Although she drives alone, she never seems lonely. She chats with her followers as she films her journey, sharing what she has been cooking, how she spent the previous day and where she's going next.

她的视频大多只有她自己出镜。尽管她独自驾车出行，但似乎从不感到孤单。她在拍摄旅途见闻时会和粉丝聊天，分享自己做了什么饭菜、前一天是如何度过的以及接下来要去哪里。

Her audience travels with her to places they never knew they would long for – Xinjiang's snow-capped mountains, Yunnan's ancient river towns, sparkling blue lakes, vast grasslands, endless deserts.

她的观众跟着她一同游历那些他们此前从未意识到自己会向往的地方 —— 新疆白雪皑皑的山脉、云南古老的水乡古镇、波光粼粼的蓝色湖泊、广袤的草原以及无边无际的沙漠。

They applaud her bravery and envy the freedom she has embraced. They had rarely heard such a raw first-hand account about the reality of life as a "Chinese auntie".

他们赞赏她的勇敢，羡慕她所拥抱的自由。他们此前很少听到如此原汁原味的第一手讲述，关于身为 “中国阿姨” 的真实生活状况。

"You're so brave! You chose to break free," wrote one follower, while another urged her to "live the rest of your life well for yourself!". One woman sought advice because she too "dreams of driving alone" and an awe-struck follower said: "Mom, look at her! When I get older, I'll live a colourful life like hers if I don't get married!"

一位粉丝写道：“你太勇敢了！你选择了挣脱束缚。” 还有一位粉丝力劝她：“为了你自己，好好度过余生！” 一位女士来寻求建议，因为她也 “梦想着独自驾车旅行”，还有一位满怀惊叹的粉丝说：“妈妈，看看她呀！等我年纪大了，如果不结婚的话，我也要像她一样过丰富多彩的生活！”

For some, the takeaways are more pragmatic yet inspiring: "After watching your videos, I've learned this: as women, we must own our own home, cultivate friendships far and wide, work hard to be financially independent, and invest in unemployment insurance!"

对有些人来说，从中得到的感悟更偏务实却也鼓舞人心：“看了你的视频后，我明白了这一点：作为女性，我们必须拥有自己的房子，广结四方好友，努力实现经济独立，并且要投资失业保险！”

Through it all, Su Min processes her own past. A stray cat she encounters on the road reminds her of herself, both of them having "weathered the wind and rain for years but still managing to love this world that dusts our faces". A visit to the market, where she smells chili peppers, evokes "the smell of freedom" because throughout her marriage spicy food was forbidden by her husband who didn't like it.

一路走来，苏敏也在梳理自己的过往。她在路上遇到的一只流浪猫让她想起了自己，它们都 “历经了多年的风雨，却依然热爱这个让我们灰头土脸的世界”。去市场的时候，闻到辣椒的味道，这让她感受到了 “自由的气息”，因为在她的婚姻生活中，丈夫不喜欢吃辣，所以一直禁止她吃辣。

For years Su Min had been the dutiful daughter, wife and mother – even as her husband repeatedly struck her.

多年来，苏敏一直扮演着孝顺的女儿、尽责的妻子和慈爱的母亲这些角色 —— 即便她的丈夫屡屡对她拳脚相加。

"I was a traditional woman and I wanted to stay in my marriage for life," she says. "But eventually I saw that I got nothing in return for all my energy and effort – only beatings, violence, emotional abuse and gaslighting."

“我曾是个传统的女性，原本想一辈子维持这段婚姻，” 她说，“但最终我发现，我付出的所有精力和努力都没有得到任何回报 —— 只有殴打、暴力、情感虐待和精神操控。”

Her husband, Du Zhoucheng, has admitted to hitting her. "It's my mistake that I beat you," he said in a video she recently shared on Douyin, TikTok's China platform.

她的丈夫杜周成（音译）承认打过她。“我打你是我的错，” 他在苏敏最近发布在抖音（TikTok 的中国版平台）的一个视频中说道。

A high school graduate, he had a government job in the water resources ministry for 40 years before retiring, according to local media reports. He told an outlet in 2022 that he beat his wife because she "talked back" and that it was "an ordinary thing": "In a family, how can there not be some bangs and crashes?"

据当地媒体报道，他高中毕业，在水利部有一份公职，工作了 40 年后退休。他在 2022 年接受一家媒体采访时表示，他打妻子是因为她 “顶嘴”，而且还称这是 “很平常的事”，他说：“一个家庭里，哪能没有磕磕碰碰呢？”

Su Min married Du Zhoucheng "really to avoid my father's control, and to avoid the whole family".

苏敏嫁给杜周城 “真的是为了摆脱我父亲的控制，也为了逃离整个家庭”。

She was born and raised in Tibet until 1982, when her family moved to Henan, a bustling province in the valley along the Yellow River. She had just finished high school and found work in a fertiliser factory, where most of her female colleagues, including those younger than 20, already had husbands.

她在西藏出生并长大，直到 1982 年，她的家人才搬到了河南。河南是黄河流域一个繁华的省份。那时她刚高中毕业，在一家化肥厂找到了工作，厂里大多数女同事，包括那些还不到 20 岁的，都已经嫁人了

Her marriage was arranged by a matchmaker, which was common at the time. She had spent much of her life cooking for and looking after her father and three younger brothers. "I wanted to change my life," she says.

她的婚姻是由媒人牵线安排的，这在当时很常见。她一生中的大部分时间都花在了给父亲和三个弟弟做饭、照顾他们上。“我想改变自己的生活。” 她说。

The couple met only twice before the wedding. She wasn't looking for love, but she hoped that love would grow once they married.

这对夫妻在婚礼前只见了两次面。她当时并非在寻觅爱情，而是希望婚后能慢慢培养出感情来。

Su Min did not find love. But she did have a daughter, and that is one reason she convinced herself she needed to endure the abuse.

苏敏没有收获爱情。但她确实育有一女，而这也是她说服自己要忍受这种虐待的原因之一。

"We are always so afraid of being ridiculed and blamed if we divorce, so we all choose to endure, but in fact, this kind of patience is not right," she says. "I later learned that, in fact, it can have a considerable impact on children. The child really doesn't want you to endure, they want you to stand up bravely and give them a harmonious home."

“我们总是特别害怕离婚后会被人嘲笑、指责，所以我们都选择忍受，可实际上，这种忍耐是不对的，” 她说，“后来我明白了，事实上，这会对孩子产生相当大的影响。孩子其实并不希望你去忍受，他们希望你能勇敢地站起来，给他们一个和谐的家。”

She thought of leaving her husband after her daughter got married, but soon she became a grandmother. Her daughter had twins – and once again duty called. She felt she needed to help care for them, although by now she had been diagnosed with depression.

在女儿结婚后，她就想过离开丈夫，但很快她就当上了外婆。她女儿生了一对双胞胎 —— 于是责任又一次召唤着她。尽管那时她已被诊断出患有抑郁症，但她觉得自己需要帮忙照顾孩子。

"I felt that if I didn't leave, I would get sicker," she says. She promised her daughter she would care for the two boys until they went to kindergarten, and then she would leave.

“我觉得如果我不离开，我的病情会变得更严重，” 她说。她向女儿承诺，会照顾这两个外孙直到他们上幼儿园，然后她就会离开。

The spark of inspiration for her escape came in 2019 while flicking through social media. She found a video about someone travelling while living in their van. This was it, she thought to herself. This was her way out.

Even the pandemic did not stop her. In September 2020, she drove away from her marital home in Zhengzhou and she barely looked back as she made her way through 20 Chinese provinces and more than 400 cities.

就连疫情也没能阻挡她的脚步。2020 年 9 月，她驾车离开了位于郑州的婚房，在穿行中国 20 个省份、400 多座城市的过程中，她几乎没有回头。

It's a decision that has certainly resonated with women in China. To her millions of followers, Su Min offers comfort and hope. "We women are not just someone's wife or mother… Let's live for ourselves!" wrote one follower.

这一决定无疑在中国女性群体中引起了共鸣。对于她数百万的粉丝来说，苏敏带来了慰藉和希望。一位粉丝写道：“我们女性不只是某人的妻子或母亲…… 让我们为自己而活！”

Many of them are mothers who share their own struggles. They tell her that they too feel trapped in suffocating marriages – some say her stories have inspired them to walk out of abusive relationships.

她们当中有许多人是母亲，也分享着自己的艰难处境。她们告诉她，自己也感觉被困在了令人窒息的婚姻当中 —— 有些人表示，她的故事激励了她们走出受虐的关系。

"You are a hero to thousands of women and many now see the possibility of a better life because of you," reads one of the top comments on one of her most-watched videos.

在她观看量最高的一个视频里，点赞数最多的评论之一这样写道：“你是千千万万女性心目中的英雄，如今，很多人因为你看到了过上更好生活的可能性。”

"When I turn 60, I hope I can be as free as you," another comment says.

另一条评论说道：“等我到 60 岁的时候，我希望能像你一样自由。

A third woman asks: "Auntie Su, can I travel with you? I'll cover all the expenses. I just want to take a trip with you. I feel so trapped and depressed in my current life."

第三位女士问道：“苏阿姨，我能和你一起旅行吗？我会承担所有费用。我只是想和你一起出去旅行一趟。我感觉自己目前的生活太压抑、太受束缚了。”

"Can you have the life of your dreams?" Su Min pondered over the call. "I want to tell you that no matter how old you are, as long as you work hard, you will definitely find your answer. Just like me, even though I'm 60 now, I found what I was looking for."

“你能过上梦想中的生活吗？” 苏敏思考着这个问题。“我想告诉你们，无论你年纪多大，只要努力，就一定能找到答案。就像我一样，尽管我现在已经 60 岁了，但我找到了自己一直在追寻的东西。”

She admits it wasn't easy and she had to live frugally on her pension. She thought the video blogs might help raise some money – she had no idea they would go viral.

她承认这并不容易，而且她得靠着养老金节俭度日。她原本以为拍视频博客或许能帮自己赚点钱 —— 她没想到这些视频会走红。

She talks about what she's learned over the years and her latest challenge – finalising the divorce.

她谈到了这些年来自己的感悟，以及她面临的最新挑战 —— 完成离婚手续。

"I haven't got my divorce certificate yet, because the law has a cooling-off period and we are now in that period."

“我还没拿到离婚证呢，因为法律有个离婚冷静期，我们现在正处于这个阶段。”

One of her followers wrote that the money she paid her husband was "worth every penny", adding: "Now it's your turn to see the world and live a vibrant, unrestrained life. Congratulations, Auntie - here's to a colourful and fulfilling future!"

她的一位粉丝写道，她付给丈夫的那笔钱 “花得太值了”，还补充道：“现在轮到你去看看这个世界，去过充满活力、无拘无束的生活了。恭喜你呀，阿姨 —— 祝愿你未来多姿多彩、充实美满！”

She says it's hard to get a divorce because "many of our laws in China are to protect the family. Women often dare not divorce because of family disharmony".

她说离婚很难，因为 “中国的很多法律都是为了保护家庭。女性常常因为家庭不和睦也不敢离婚”。

At first, she thought that Du Zhoucheng's behaviour might improve with time and distance, but she said he still threw "pots and pans" at her on her return.

起初，她以为随着时间推移以及两人拉开距离，杜周城的行为可能会有所改善，但她说自己回来的时候，他仍然会朝她扔 “锅碗瓢盆”。

He has only called her twice in the last few years – once because her highway access card was tied to his credit card and he wanted her to return 81 yuan (£0.90). She says she hasn't used that card since then.

在过去几年里，他只给她打过两次电话 —— 有一次是因为她的高速通行卡绑定在他的信用卡上，他想让她还 81 元（约合 0.9 英镑）。她说从那以后她就再也没用过那张卡了。

Undeterred by the delay in securing a divorce, Su Min keeps planning more trips and hopes to one day travel abroad.

尽管离婚受阻、有所耽搁，但苏敏并未气馁，她仍在计划更多的旅行，并且希望有朝一日能出国旅行。

She's worried about overcoming language barriers, but is confident her story will resonate around the world - as it has in China.

她担心克服不了语言障碍，但她有信心自己的故事能在全世界引起共鸣 —— 就像在中国引起共鸣那样。

"Although women in every country are different, I would like to say that no matter what environment you are in, you must be good to yourself. Learn to love yourself, because only when you love yourself can the world be full of sunshine."

“尽管每个国家的女性各不相同，但我想说，无论你处在什么样的环境中，都一定要对自己好一点。要学会爱自己，因为只有当你爱自己的时候，世界才会充满阳光。”