From Yu-kai Chou's "10,000 Hours of Play": "In a bold move, Sun and his childhood buddy Lu Haodong traveled toward the capital city of Tianjin, around 1,300 miles away, seeking an audience with the influential government leader Li Hongzhang. Unfortunately, the journey ended up being a Plot Fail Quest."

📖 Discover the full journey: 10,000 Hours of Play by Yu-kai Chou

In a bold 1,300-mile journey, Sun and his childhood friend Lu Haodong traveled to Tianjin seeking an audience with the powerful government leader Li Hongzhang, hoping to be hired to help reform China. They stopped in Shanghai first to secure a letter of recommendation from reformist Zheng Guanying. But the petition fell on deaf ears. Worse, Sun saw firsthand how wealthy and corrupt the capital's elite were — and realized China needed more than just reform. This "Plot Fail Quest" was the turning point that set Sun on the path of revolution.