Zhang Xinyu (right) and Liang Hong pose with local residents at Ambrym in Vanuatu. Photos provided to China Daily

A national tragedy showed Zhang Xinyu how fragile human existence can be, and he's reshaped his life to make the most of it, Tang Zhe reports.

Like most young men living in the metropolis, Zhang Xinyu was once busy making money after he retired from military service in 1998. He owned two trading companies and he lived a comfortable life with his girlfriend, Liang Hong, whom he has known for 28 years.

He stuck to his daily routine for almost 10 years, until the devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan province in 2008.

Greatly affected as he watched the aftermath on TV, Zhang organized an eight-man assistance team to the disaster zone. The group was dispatched to the frontline because of their professional equipment. However, he never expected his own life would be changed completely after that 15-day rescue effort.

"I was an assiduous businessman before 2008, and my life was making money day by day," says the 35-year-old. "We went to Hanwang town, we saw children's bodies lying on the playground, it was startling and reminded me how fragile life is.

"I was totally changed when I came back. I told my family I want to find my own way. I have dreams, and I need to complete my dreams, and they supported me," he says.

Zhang and Liang started to learn an array of skills, obtaining a stack of licenses including flying, diving and sailing, and began a new life of expeditions with a journey to the Russian community of Oymyakon, one of the candidates for the title "Northern Pole of Cold" with the lowest registered temperature of -71.2 C in January 2012.

"When we were learning sailing abroad, a foreign crew mentioned that someone used to camp out in Oymyakon, but he said a Chinese can never accomplish that," Liang says. "That roused our competitive hearts, and we decided to start from there."

By midnight on their first night of camping, it was -52 C. To avoid hypothermia, they had to wake up every hour during the 10 hours of darkness, asking each other the simplest mathematic questions to confirm their consciousness and make sure their toes and fingers were wiggling.

The couple and photographer Wei Kai were granted an achievement certificate by local residents after they accomplished the challenge. The locals told the trio they were the first Chinese they'd ever seen in Oymyakon in winter.

In May, the expedition team welcomed another member, Zeng Qiao, and launched its next tour to Somalia, a country plagued by wars and conflicts for decades.