Dr. Li Leshi (李乐诗), known in English as Dr. Rebecca Lee Lok-sze, is the world’s first female explorer to have left her footprints at each of the so-called “three peaks”: the Arctic, Antarctica and the top of the Qomolangma Region. Over the course of her life she has undertaken an astounding 10 expeditions to the Arctic, seven to Antarctica and four to Qomolangma. Her most poignant work, though, is the body of research and documentation she will leave to posterity and the living legacy of environmental awareness she has instilled in her students.

Li Leshi had everything, and then she had nothing—that’s the best way to understand how she changed her life. By the early 1970s, the Hong Kong businesswoman was a success by any measure: less than a decade out of college, she was married with two daughters and had her own business in commercial design and advertising. Then, at the age of 31, Li suddenly found herself divorced with two children. But rather than sinking into a deep depression, she embraced the freedom. Shortly after her divorce, she handed over the management of her company, strapped on a backpack and set off on a two-year trip around the world.

Though traveling was new for Li, wanderlust was not. Born in Guangzhou in 1944, Li moved to Hong Kong with her family when she was five. As a little girl, she developed an interest in painting, which helped nurture her innate adventurous spirit. She bought a map of Hong Kong and explored the city on foot, stopping to sketch and paint along the way, a habit that helped her envision her goal of traveling around the world and capturing its most magnificent landscapes on canvas.

Over the two years, Li traveled to more than 90 countries across five continents. She met with locals and overseas Chinese who motivated her to investigate her own country further, and from 1978 she began traveling around China. It was these travels that ultimately led to her November 1985 trip to Antarctica with members of the Chinese Antarctic Research Team. “What attracted me to Antarctica was pure curiosity about the polar region,” she recalls, her voice still tingling with excitement. “I’d traveled all over China and felt strongly that I should do something for the country. So when I heard that China had established its first scientific research station—the Great Wall Station—in Antarctica and planned to host an exhibition in Hong Kong, I volunteered to help.”

It was while working in Antarctica and creating a photographic archive of her experiences that Li developed her passion for polar exploration. When she returned she immediately quit her job and devoted all her resources to studying polar landscapes. After the thrill of her trip to Antarctica, Li was drawn to explore the Artic. “In 1986, I visited scientific research teams in the region, and the idea of using art to introduce the polar regions to the general public crystallized in my mind,” she says.

Li has also made wildlife documentaries about the flora and fauna of the poles and published over a dozen books, as well as countless articles and photographic essays on her adventures.

As her interests developed, her original thirst for adventure was gradually replaced by a sense of wider responsibility. “I feel obliged to document my experiences for future generations. In an era of excessive materialism, we should take time to appreciate the earth we live on, while preserving clean air, plants and land for the next generation,” she explains.

In 1997, Li founded China’s Polar Museum Fund and began taking students to polar regions to conduct research. In recent years, she’s been working as a polar researcher herself, focusing her efforts on environmental protection and education. “My students can take on my torch,” she says. “I’ve trained over 100 students to conduct scientific research in Antarctica, the Arctic and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Now they’re starting to take their own students to these regions.”

When asked for her advice to young people with ambitions to explore the world, Li emphasizes the importance of setting goals as early as possible. “Young people shouldn’t be afraid and should have a dream. I suggest they make a life plan as early as possible because time flies. Once the timetable is set, they’ll be able to fulfill a series of wonderful life goals.”

This advice is solidly grounded in her own experience. “At 16, I set a timetable to spend the first 20 years of my life studying hard and building a healthy body, the second 20 to start a business and travel the world and the third 20 years to give something back to society. Step by step, I’ve achieved all my goals. I feel like I’ve lived a free and full life.”

“Li Leshi, The Polar Pioneer” is just one of the many profiles we have in our China Dispatch only “Travel Supplement“. To read the whole piece, download the app on iOS or Android.