Hong Kong university student completes 9,000-km solo bike ride from Shenzhen to Moscow

According to Hong Kong’s Sun Newspaper, Wei Jiawei, a student at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, refused to settle for an ordinary life. To mark his birthday this year, he embarked on a solo 9,000-km bike journey from Shenzhen to Moscow, enduring 90 grueling days across vast roads and changing skies.

　　The report stated that Wei, a third-year Physical Education major at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, has long yearned for nature and the adventurous life of exploring the unknown. On June 10, his 22nd birthday, he bid farewell to classmates and friends and set off on a three-month summer biking odyssey. Through sheer determination and willpower—and enduring unforgettable experiences such as being beaten, suffering heatstroke and hospitalization, being treated as an honored guest, and facing discrimination—he biked all the way from Hong Kong to Moscow.

　　Riding in the rain with his shirt off

　　His journey began in Shenzhen on day one. A friend accompanied him as far as Dongguan, and after they parted ways, Wei continued alone. Traveling from Guangdong through Hunan and Hubei into central southern China, though the mountains weren’t very high, the roads were steep. He pedaled up one mountain after another.

　　Besides rugged mountain paths, he also had to contend with scorching weather—daily temperatures exceeding 30°C coupled with heavy rain. His raincoat was waterproof but not breathable, so for the sake of staying cool, Wei opted to ride in the rain with his shirt off.

　　Tendonitis made every step agony

　　Confident in his youth and strength, and being a mountaineering athlete, Wei originally planned to cover 100 km per day and finish the 9,000 km in 90 days.

　　On day 30, in Gansu Province, due to pushing himself nonstop with inadequate rest, exhaustion caught up with him. In Lanzhou, he suffered severe pain in his left foot and could only ride down a 20-km-long slope using his right foot to pedal while dragging the bike.

　　Upon reaching [??], due to overexertion, he needed to rest for a full month before recovering. Facing verbal abuse, he became quite irritable. Add to that the constant honking from drivers warning for safety, and his temper flared. He gave a passing car the middle finger, which led to the driver, offended, getting out and punching him. With new injuries and anger, he entered Xinjiang.

　　Wei only agreed to a week of treatment, so the traditional Chinese medicine practitioner had no choice but to give him daily acupuncture and massage. After seven days, although the injury wasn’t healed, he taped up his foot with sports medical bandages and hit the road again. Frustrated and annoyed by the frequent honking of local drivers, he flipped them off, leading to being punched by an offended driver. With fresh wounds and resentment, he entered Xinjiang.

　　Meets Japanese backpacker who becomes his savior

　　In July, temperatures in Xinjiang were scorching. Fortunately, he met another Japanese bike travel enthusiast who traveled with him for three days—only to unexpectedly become his lifesaver.

　　On the second day, as they passed through Hami], they stopped at a local restaurant. Wei collapsed from exhaustion. Locals didn’t know how to help, so the Japanese biker poured ice water over his head, reviving him. After regaining consciousness, the restaurant owner drove them to a nearby rural clinic for safety. The doctor, finding his heart rhythm irregular and dangerous, transferred him 100 km to another hospital]. After recovering slightly, he rested for a few days before continuing his journey back to the restaurant to rejoin the Japanese biker.

　　On the 50th day after leaving Hong Kong, Wei crossed the border into Kazakhstan and Russia.

　　Entering Kazakhstan – Walkman earns highest respect

　　Once inside Kazakhstan, though few locals spoke English, Wei managed with just a phrasebook dictionary as his translator, adapting surprisingly well as a foreign guest.

　　Wei said Islam is the national religion in Kazakhstan, and many locals are descendants of nomadic tribes who move with the seasons. They are always warm and welcoming to guests. When he entered a small Kazakh village, knowing only the word for “dinner” in Kazakh, villagers said there were no restaurants but instead invited him into their homes for hearty meals. Some even offered him a place to stay overnight.

　　Young villagers, learning that he had biked across vast lands, admired his perseverance and courage, and held a party in his honor. Before leaving Kazakhstan, he searched for restaurants but found one fully booked. The hosts, upon hearing his story, invited him to join the party and enjoy food and drinks.

　　Some villagers loved the music “walkman” he carried and asked to trade. Wei said he hesitated for over ten seconds. Though his journey ahead would be without music to ease loneliness, the experience here was too wonderful. Smiling, he gave away the gift, but the villager gave him a traditional square Islamic cap in return—a symbol of the highest respect to God. Wei said he felt a bit overwhelmed by the gesture.

　　Building resilience through experiences

　　Wei hopes this journey will be his first step toward becoming an “adventurer” in the future, as well as living a life unlike others. He believes that most university graduates, after completing school, tend to gravitate toward stable careers like office work, shopping, dining, and entertainment. But if he pursued engineering, he might live an ordinary life. He dreamed of something different—exploring nature and adventure. He aims to become a true adventurer.

　　Crowdfunding the trip

　　According to reports, Wei began preparing for this biking trip in May. First, he received a second-hand bicycle gifted by a fellow “adventurer” mentor. Then, a passionate bike shop owner sponsored necessary gear and taught him repair skills.

　　Wei also crowdfunded travel expenses online, supplemented by part-time jobs and savings, totaling over 30,000 HKD to make the trip happen.

　　Wei revealed that he plans to carry out personal challenges on his birthdays for the next two years, including rebuilding his physical fitness and climbing the Alps—taking steady steps toward a lifelong dream of being an adventurer.

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