A spirit of adventure, curiosity about different cultures and the desire for a challenge can be found in young people everywhere. More and more students inprefix = st1 /Chinaare backpacking around the country.     According to the China Youth Travel Service, Hainan, Dalian, Zhangjiajie andQingdaowere among the most popular spots for young Chinese backpackers last year. Backpacking allows the traveler a greater sense of independence.      "I can no longer put up with the instructions of a tourist guide," said Huang Ye, a 19-year-old college student inBeijing. "They are always driving you to places that you do not want to go to and trying to make you buy local souvenirs."       Huang likes to travel as a backpacker. She prefers an independent trip that she took with two friends to Jiuzhaigou inSichuanProvince. There, they chose some scenic spots to visit and avoided the masses of   tourists.            Backpackers see the difficulties of such travel as a challenge. Living on bread and water for days on end, wearing the same clothes over and over again and carrying a heavy bag on their backs while climbing a mountain are all character-building experiences.        But perhaps the greatest challenge that a backpacker faces is not a physical one, but mental. They may face loneliness if they travel alone.     Chen Xuewei, 21, suffered when he took off aroundChinalast year."I felt very lonely at the beginning of my journey. A walkman didn't make me feel better, but rather heightened the sense of loneliness I felt. I even called up my friends to tell them that I wanted to give up and go back toBeijing," he recalled. But he kept going. He started to make friends and appreciate the local customs. He took lots of photos to record his trip and now he is glad he stuck it out.     Backpackers generally find themselves to be mature after their experiences. "Their travel logs   track their development as people." "When I feel  _ , I read my travel log again," said Tang Weifeng, a postgraduate atPekingUniversity. "By reading it, I get a sense that I am better off now than I was when I wrote those words by the light of a torch in a hot tent." What do you need most to stick a backpacking trip out, according to Chen Xuewei's experience?
A walkman. Making new friends. Taking lots of photos. The determination to do so.