In the first episode of the new season, actress and model Yang Ying, aka Angelababy, joins Xu Yukun-the 72-year-old who 12 years ago embarked on a global cycling odyssey-en route to Vancouver for the final stage of his ride across Canada.

Meanwhile, Feng Shaofeng, an actor most frequently seen in historical dramas, joins a team making a crop circle in the United Kingdom and supermodel Liu Wen joins Norwegian locals as they go prospecting for gold in Svalbard.

Her perfectly coiffured public persona slips a little while she is navigating the archipelago by boat, which results in an unfortunate bout of seasickness.

"It's my first time camping," Liu says in the program. "All the public know about me is the image that has been portrayed through cameras. But, during the shoot for the show, when there was no phone signal of any kind, I stayed true to myself."

The program's producer, Li Xiao, explains that while the first season focused on the relationship between people and nature, represented by the harsh environments and extreme destinations, the second season seeks to highlight the interpersonal relationships between people when traveling.

Li says: "We want to get close to people that live different lives and listen to their ideas."

For example, Aya and Feng managed to mediate between farm owners and crop circle artists in the UK to create a piece of work which is dedicated to a woman who spent her life studying mysterious crop circles that still remain unexplained phenomena.

The program hopes to demonstrate that love and warmth can overcome disagreements among people, Aya says.

It also shows concern for social issues, such as Alzheimer's sufferers, or children left behind in rural areas when their parents migrate to big cities for work, by having celebrity guests travel with them.

Moreover, the show gives the floor to controversial figures who may be misunderstood by the public.

The veteran cyclist is one of those people. He grew up as a farmer in Henan province, yet has been criticized for bucking the traditional Chinese view of how senior citizens should behave-he left his wife behind to cycle around the world alone, just to "pursue his personal dream of expanding his horizons".

Xu explains in the program why he is able to spend more than 10 years living such an unstable life, mostly living off instant noodles and bread soaked in water.

"Whenever you have difficulties, never be angry and never give up," he says.

However, not everyone can keep pace with the septuagenarian's unstoppable wheels.

In the program, for several days in a row, Angelababy, who just couldn't get up early, chose to sleep in, then rent a car to catch up with Xu later, rather than set off on the journey together early in the morning.

While some internet users doubted whether "her choice to save her energy" was right, the program's director, Zhao Qi, did not interfere.

Zhao says: "I didn't know what would happen next, and I didn't want to have a script.

"Encounter is like a scalpel cutting directly to the core of real life. In the show, without any limitations, the celebrities reveal their personalities on screen.

"The show can be a place to welcome different attitudes in life, rather than catering to audiences' expectations."

Aya adds: "Celebrities have the same concerns and anxieties as anyone else. However, our exploration as portrayed in the show might inspire viewers to have confidence in their own life choices."

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