Gradually the navigation tracks he had drawn in the desert formed dense grids, and he became a seasoned desert adventurer.

Dong insisted that he drove Chinese-made vehicles every time he traveled across the Taklimakan. He says he hopes more people get to know that these Chinese-made vehicles are capable of delivering excellent performance in rugged off-road environments.

He is working to support the local government and off-road driving clubs in Xinjiang to hold a folk sport event that encourages professional off-road drivers to operate domestically made vehicles to race in the Taklimakan Desert.

"I think people may be interested in the event if what the racers drive is exactly the same as their own family vehicles."

He also plans to share his knowledge about Chinese-made off-road vehicles and personal experience on cross-desert journeys on short-video-streaming platforms, he says.

xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn