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BEIJING — Their great American adventure was off to a rough start.

In June, Chen Aiwu, 64, and her husband, Wang Dongsheng, 66, landed in Los Angeles. It was nearly midnight. They could barely communicate. And they were faced with a classic holiday conundrum: a rental car up-sell.

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No, they did not want more insurance. No, they did not need a bigger car.

“I just kept saying ‘No,’ ” Chen remembered, “the only English word I know.”

More than four hours later, with help from a Chinese speaker who popped by, the pensioners set off on a 19-day, 4,850-mile drive.

The journey took them from coastal California to Las Vegas, Yosemite, Yellowstone and back, testing their patience and teaching them about a people and place that once felt infinitely distant.

They were frustrated by U.S. infrastructure, intrigued by American families, and touched, again and again, by the kindness of people they met.

Upon their return – to their surprise – they were greeted as heroes, profiled in state media and lauded online. “Couple prove age no barrier to globe-trotting,” a China Daily headline said.