Cycling around China, embarking on a journey of life enlightenment and philosophical exploration, is, in the eyes of the rider himself, simply accomplishing something that he ought to do, loves to do, is capable of doing, has the means to do, and finds meaningful—an ordinary, everyday act. His name is Chen Chaosheng, 54 years old. Not long ago, he just completed the “Journey Across China,” cycling over 28,000 kilometers in 17 months, with a total distance of more than 37,000 kilometers.
Setting Off With a Proposition — Travel That Is Also a Quest for Knowledge
When I met Chen Chaosheng, he had just returned from his morning ride, still clad in his “battle gear.” No sooner had he sat down than he began chatting enthusiastically. He said the idea of cycling around China had come to him long ago, but it wasn’t until after retirement that he had the time to make it happen. He said that cycling was not just about the scenery along the way. “I set off with a very strong and clear proposition. Rather than calling this a trip, it’s more like an investigation, a practice.”
In fact, his cycling journey was indeed more than just travel. Even while averaging over 110 kilometers per day, Chen Chaosheng still kept a diary. Two thick notebooks were filled densely with everything he saw and felt along the way—from physical geography and local customs to urban and new rural construction, from renewable energy development to reflections on modern industrial civilization, as well as critiques of overconsumption and commercialization. “The purpose of travel is to seek knowledge, to conduct a social investigation, to gather sparks of thought,” Chen Chaosheng said.
Traversing Mountains and Rivers — Moved Only by What Touches the Heart
In April 2011, Chen Chaosheng set off from Dongxing City in Guangxi, traveling alone along the eastern coastline. He welcomed the first day of the Year of the Dragon in Mohe Arctic Village at minus 45 degrees Celsius, admired the dawn in the uninhabited areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an altitude of 4,200 meters, slept under bridges, in railway dispatch offices, Mongolian yurts, and even hospital beds in rural clinics. He once ate only boiled noodles with Chinese cabbage for an entire month. In Mohe, a typical southerner, he wanted to experience a northern winter and stayed for a full four and a half months, spending his time reading and studying sociology aside from eating and sleeping.
“In Mudanjiang, I met another traveler heading in the opposite direction. Through our conversation, I learned about the inner world of a 35-year-old laid-off worker. In Lhasa, I joined local Tibetans in praying and circumambulating the Potala Palace every morning. You can’t imagine the sacredness of that pure land.”
From the rivers and lakes across the land, the black mountains and white waters, the Arctic winter, the grassland crescent moon, passing through Ningxia and Gansu, the borderlands of Xinjiang, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and weaving through Yunnan and Guangxi, Chen Chaosheng divided his journey into chapters, composing a symphony of life.
Setting Off Again Next Year — The Next 30 Years Have Just Begun
In the text messages Chen Chaosheng organized after returning home, he recorded the most frequently asked questions he encountered along the way.
Q: Where are you from? Where are you going?
A: From Guangxi. Cycling around China.
Q: Why put yourself through such hardship when there are easier things to enjoy?
A: Just like some people love playing mahjong, cards, karaoke, dancing, smoking, drinking, hiking, or fishing—cycling is also a passion. There is joy amid the hardships.
Q: Isn’t it dangerous on the road? Aren’t you afraid? Don’t you feel lonely traveling alone?
A: Yes, it’s scary. There are risks in everything we do, but we take precautions and hope for safety. Finding a cycling partner depends on fate; even if you’re alone, you should still be able to do something.
Q: After visiting so many places, which one was the best?
A: Every place is beautiful, but my favorite is still my hometown.
Chen Chaosheng’s blog is called “Life Rider.” In his eyes, life should be a joyful song sung with wings spread wide. He said that cycling around China is just the first step in his 30-year life plan. Next year, he also plans to cycle along the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, hike through the Lop Nur Desert in Xinjiang, and drive to Ali, among other adventures.