China may be easing some of its anti-covid restrictions, but it still has a lot of citizens who want a better future elsewhere.
The Sun family threw away their camping gear three days into their trek through a Central American rainforest because they thought they would be out by nightfall.
They were stuck in the jungle.
Sun Jincai, his wife and three children squeezed into a small tent they found on the trail, likely discarded by other migrants, as they tried to ignore the cold water in the thin fabric.
Mr Sun said that they didn't get sick.
They traveled from China to the US in a dangerous way.
Mr Sun and his family used to live on the coast of China where jobs were plentiful.
The other two children lived with their grandparents in Jiangxi, a province in China's east, as it was hard to enroll in school outside their hometown.
As the Chinese economy lost steam, Mr Sun began looking for ways to leave the country.
Mr Sun said that China is moving backwards. We want a better future for the children.
Xi is in a bind because of China's anger and fear.
The US was out of reach until earlier this year, when Mr Sun came across a young woman who shared her story on a Chinese messaging platform. She said she hiked through rainforests in Central America before crossing the US- Mexico border. Why can't we if she can do it? Mr Sun wondered.
One of the most dangerous migration routes in the world is being taken by more and more Chinese people.
Mr Sun's journey would take him through a 60 mile stretch of dense, road-less rainforests connecting the north-western tip of Colombia to Central America, with waist-deep rivers to ford and steep slopes to climb.
Migrants face attacks by drug traffickers along the way.
Over 200,000 people from all over the world have crossed the Darien since January.
Indians are leaving the world.
The majority are from South America, with others from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.
The group of Chinese migrants is growing. The number of people from China who crossed the Darién in the last ten years has tripled. The number of people eventually arriving at the US southern border has increased due to this.
The path was almost unknown to Chinese people until last year, when a few posts on social media described the journey.
In China, online searches for "run"- a euphemism for emigration- went up when the lock down of Shanghai began. The policy was seen as the driving force by many people.
Obtaining foreign residency through education and investment is one of the topics discussed online. The Sun family did not have the means to emigrate legally.
The walking route that they took is called Zouxian.
A search for Zouxian leads to thousands of posts on social media.
Some Chinese migrants formed chat groups on Telegram to avoid being seen on social media.
There were places to exchange money, avoid immigration enforcement, and pack light for the rainforest that were shared by those who had traveled to the US.
One traveller advises to always be careful with their travel plans.
"You don't need to pack your entire house," says a post with a photo of a backpack. So can you if they can survive with this.
A researcher who writes about Chinese migration in North America said that the popularity of Zouxian attests to the desperation of some migrants to leave China. She said that it has been difficult for Chinese people to get a visa from Mexico or Central American countries.
They may be the only way to get to the United States.
Mr Sun began documenting the journey with a photo of his family's passports and boarding passes on the social media site.
He wrote in Chinese that his family made it out.
He posted updates over the course of a long period of time. The children were bound down the stairs at the airport. Mr Sun captured a seaport draped in the rosy glow of sunset in Turkey after the family stopped in Taiwan.
One of the only countries on the American continents that does not require a visa for Chinese visitors was where they took in the sights before embarking on the most dangerous part of the trip.
The clips take a more serious turn as the family heads into the Darién Gap on a boat ride with other migrants from all over the world before sitting in a wagon drawn by a mule They went into the rainforest.
A fellow migrant holds the hand of Mr Sun's six-year-old son as they walk through the forest. Mr Sun comforts his children after they are taken into custody in Mexico.
The most dangerous parts weren't usually captured by the camera. Mr Sun's wife was swept off her feet as she waded through a river in the jungle.
If it weren't for the three South American migrants who rushed to her rescue, she would most likely have died.
The Chinese and the South Americans didn't speak much because of the language barrier. All of us were in this.
Mr Sun found a job working in a warehouse in California after moving to the state with his family. He said the journey from China to the US took three months.
It took Wentao three weeks to leave eastern China, where he had worked odd jobs.
He saw no future for himself because of China's zero- Covid policy. He only gave his first name because he was afraid of repercussions for his family.
When China abolished the presidential term limit, Wentao decided to leave. The president of China secured a third term.
Beijing has put in place strict regulations over the private sector. Some people were not allowed to leave their neighbourhood or even their apartment building because of the Covid policy.
Protests broke out in Chinese cities in November, with some calling for the removal of the president. Some unpopular measures were relaxed by Beijing.
If the authoritarian trend continues, the economic growth that has driven the country forward would not continue.
He wanted to start a new life in the US, but being able to do so legally would be a long shot due to the worsening political relations between the US and China.
The US rejected almost all of the applications from China.
Wentao flew from China to Europe before catching a flight to the South American country.
He traveled 1000 miles by bus and boat to reach the town. He trekked for seven days through the jungle with three other Chinese men until they reached a jungle refugee camp with hundreds of migrants.
Most of his savings were spent on the trip to California. The average cost to pay for transport, food, and bribes is between $5,000 and $10,000, according to online estimates. Chinese migrants claim that they are being extorted for higher fees because they are seen as less risky than others.
Getting out of China during the Pandemic was more difficult than the trek around the world itself, according to a group of migrants who spoke to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
In order to combat Covid, China has slashed international passenger flights by almost 100% in the year 2021. Beijing has stopped issuing passports for "non- essential reasons" under a policy that prevents people from leaving China unless "strictly necessary".
Some migrants use dubious agencies to forge job offers or school admission letters from overseas to apply for passports in order to leave the country.
Wentao said that China's recent easing of Covid restrictions wouldn't change his decision to leave.
The root problems have not changed regardless of whether zero- Covid stays in place or not. I don't believe in hope in China.
The Chinese government did not reply to the request for comment, but they have defended their policies in the past.
The other migrants talked about Wentao's concerns.
The majority of them would file for asylum when they arrived in the US. The application process can take a long time due to the large number of immigrants.
They are waiting to find a job that will make them money.
Californians and New Yorkers join a large Chinese-speaking community for better access to jobs and legal help.
Wentao chose to live in the state of California. He bought a 2003 Camry that has over 170,000 miles on it and is living in a home with other people. He works for a Chinese construction team in San Jose from Monday to Saturday, earning an hourly wage of 160 dollars. He goes to church on Sundays.
One day Wentao would like to visit the national park.
He said he would buy a new car that could take him there.
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