The Hoh Xil Snack Economy

This picture was inspired by a wolf in Hoh Xil, in Qinghai Province, western China, that became unexpectedly good at begging beside the highway.

In 2023, travellers along the Qinghai–Tibet Highway began sharing videos of a very thin wild wolf lingering near the roadside. Feeling sorry for it, passing drivers offered it snacks, including jerky, sausages, roast chicken, and packaged custard-filled cakes known in Chinese as "dan huang pai".

The wolf soon discovered a remarkably un-wolflike life hack: chasing prey is exhausting, while approaching cars and wagging your tail can make dinner appear through a window.

A few months later, the scruffy and underfed wolf had become noticeably rounder. It learned to approach stopped vehicles, roll over, show its belly, and eventually become a little selective about the menu. Somewhere along the way, a wolf that once hunted on the plateau became one of the highway’s most experienced diners.

So I imagined her as a young roadside entrepreneur who has fully mastered the Hoh Xil snack economy. She stands beside the road offering a bag of flaky pastries through the car window, looking entirely confident that she understands how business with humans works.

It is a delightful story to turn into a character, though probably a poor career choice for an actual wolf.