"Shijiazhuang is the 100th stop on my journey, and I’m very happy to be interviewed here in this beautiful city!" On the 27th, Xin Liushuan, a renowned grassroots environmental advocate invited by the Environmental Protection Channel of Great Wall Online, visited the website to discuss his extraordinary "Journey Across China."
Xin Liushuan, 54, is from Luoyang, Henan Province. In 1988, he suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury in a traffic accident while on a business trip. Despite this misfortune, it forged in him a tougher and more adventurous character. Shortly after the accident, he took early retirement from a machinery plant in Luoyang. But the determined man was unwilling to burden his family or waste his days. In 2002, after careful consideration, he decided to step out of his home to do something meaningful—thus beginning his "Journey Across China."
During his travels, he explored China’s magnificent landscapes while promoting environmental awareness. After eight years of extensive travel, he visited all 34 provinces (including municipalities, autonomous regions, and special administrative regions), including Hong Kong and Macau, as well as their famous scenic spots and capital cities. Eight years later, upon returning home, he saw his elderly father living alone and feeling lonely, which led him to the idea of taking his father along on another journey.
On June 5, 2011, Xin Liushuan deliberately chose World Environment Day to set off from Luoyang with his 94-year-old father on his second "Journey Across China to Promote Environmental Protection." He said they had just arrived in Shijiazhuang that day—the 25th—and that he had been there nine years earlier. When asked if his impressions of Shijiazhuang had changed between the two visits, he smiled and said, "It’s completely different, so much more beautiful now. This time, I see rapid urban development here, with tall buildings everywhere, roads extending in all directions, and lush greenery throughout the city. Ten years ago, the tallest buildings in Shijiazhuang were only six or seven stories high, and the roads were mostly bumpy and inconvenient. In just ten years, Shijiazhuang has become better and more beautiful."
Xin Liushuan also revealed to reporters that during this journey, he plans to take about five years to traverse over 300 prefecture-level cities and more than 2,000 county-level cities in China together with his father. So far, he has distributed over 60,000 environmental awareness materials and given nearly 10,000 environmental speeches along the way. He said he hopes to inspire everyone, through his actions, to cherish life, protect the environment, conserve resources, and work together to leave a better world with green mountains and clear waters for future generations.