The 22-year-old's unconventional approach attracts criticism. "People ask why I waste time instead of taking high-speed trains or planes," he says. "I'm not rushing to check off landmarks. I get immersed in the rhythms of ordinary life — the same way others spend a day sightseeing."

For Shen, buses are both transportation and cultural lens. "Half the appeal is the vehicles; the other half is the humanity you witness," he says.

He is planning a west-east route from Qinghai Lake in Qinghai province to Shanghai this summer, and is prepping more than 100 bus lines. His advice to aspiring bus travelers is to travel light, research schedules, and embrace spontaneity. "Always have a plan B — and ask residents if maps fail. They know best."

For 20-year-old Ye Shubo, a chemistry major at Nanjing University in Jiangsu province, bus travel is more than a mode of transportation. During his 12-day journey from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, to Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, Ye took more than 60 buses and covered nearly 4,000 kilometers, spending about 7,000 yuan (including accommodation, food, and tickets).