Liu Sendao, a 90-year-old resident of Chengdu, has been road-tripping across China by car for the past month. In each city he visits, he sends blessings back to family and friends who care about him. “This time, my top destination is Mongolia — I want to see the vast deserts and stay in a traditional yurt.”
Traveling by car across China is nothing new, but more and more people are not only exploring domestically, but also extending their road trips to destinations further north such as Russia and Mongolia, as well as those to the south like Vietnam and Laos. The Belt and Road Initiative has not only brought China closer to its neighboring countries, but also broadened the travel horizons of its people.
Do you remember on May 3, 2018, at 10 a.m. in front of the administrative building of Sichuan University, 90-year-old Liu Sendao and cycling painter Yunshui (the pen name of Liu Sendao’s son Liu Yunshan) officially kicked off their cross-country road trip around China. Traveling across China had long been a dream of Liu Sendao, but due to various reasons, it had never come true. As his 90th birthday approached, his children planned a “dream-fulfilling journey” for him.
“Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles” was the motto that Liu Sendao, once a vice principal at a middle school, taught his children. “Traveling across China and going out into the world” was even more his personal wish. Due to a busy work schedule in the past, he had no time to pursue his hobbies, but after retiring in the 1980s, he began thinking about how to realize his dream.
For Liu Sendao, this trip holds more meaning and excitement than before, as he can not only drive across different parts of China, but also cross the border to visit several other countries. Laos and Vietnam have already been confirmed as possible destinations, and he plans to continue on to North Korea, Russia, and Mongolia.