"I've always had a wish to go to Beijing and see the Tiananmen Gate, the Great Wall, and the Old Summer Palace from my textbooks." Zhou Chengfg, a 12-year-old boy living in Jindong New District, Jinhua, Zhejiang, after finishing elementary school this year, spent 16 days cycling over 1,800 km with his father and finally reached his dream destination—Beijing.
A photo of father and son Zhou Yuanmao at East Taihu Lake, photographed by Li Tingting
"When our child graduates from junior high, I plan to cycle the Sichuan-Tibet Highway with him. By then, he'll be even taller," Zhou Yuanmao said affectionately while looking at his sun-tanned son during an interview with China News Service on August 21.
The father and son's pact
"I've always wanted to go to Beijing. My dad once promised me that if I did well in school when I finished elementary school, he would take me there." For Zhou Chengfg, this wish had been growing throughout his elementary years.
Zhou Chengfg’s father, Zhou Yuanmao, also hoped to help his son conclude his elementary school journey on a fulfilling note.
"But when we decided to cycle to Beijing, my wife and friends strongly opposed it," Zhou Yuanmao told reporters. At first, they all advised against the trip, saying the physical demands were too great for a child and urged them to give up the idea.
However, in the end, Zhou Yuanmao’s wife and friends couldn't sway the determined father and son and eventually relented. "At first, we didn’t even dare tell his grandparents, fearing they wouldn’t agree." The family only informed them after the trip began.
On the noon of July 5, after two months of preparation, the father and son finally hopped on their bikes and began their 16-day ride to Beijing.
The father and son took a photo together in front of their home as a departure ceremony. They had no idea what risks or challenges lay ahead on the journey, but they faced it all fearlessly. "Persistence is something I’ve instilled in my son since he was little," Zhou Yuanmao said.
16 days, over 1,800 km, and 24,000 words
From July 5 to July 20, along the 1,800 km route, the father and son cycled past West Lake, Taihu Lake, Hongze Lake, and Daming Lake; crossed the Grand Canal, the Yangtze River, and the Yellow River; and passed through cities like Hangzhou, Suzhou, Qufu, Jinan, and Tianjin... "We viewed natural landscapes, admired cultural heritage sites, and visited red education bases," Zhou Yuanmao told reporters. To broaden his son’s horizons, the route focused mainly on lakes, rivers, and major cities, allowing the boy to take in the beauty of the motherland while learning beyond textbook knowledge.
Cycling to Beijing was undoubtedly tough. Throughout the journey, Zhou Yuanmao meticulously documented their experiences in a 24,000-word travel diary.
"We left the Taierzhuang Memorial Hall around 2 pm. After eating a meal (the food was quite unappetizing), we hit the road again. By 3 pm, my eyelids were drooping, and I felt like I could fall asleep on the bike. We quickly found a plane tree, leaned against it, and fell asleep in less than two minutes." This is an excerpt from the cycling diary.
"Exhaustion, heat, sleep deprivation, unfamiliar food, and poor accommodation were the main challenges," Zhou Yuanmao said. After passing through Taierzhuang in Shandong, the weather turned hot, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. Their physical exertion was immense, and the two of them drank about 20 bottles of water daily. Their cycling clothes were also covered in thick layers of salt stains.
When tired, they rested at safe spots along the road; when their bottoms got raw, the father and son comforted and medicated each other. This unique experience deepened their bond.
The most unforgettable part wasn’t Beijing but the journey itself
On the afternoon of July 20, the father and son finally arrived in Beijing. According to their itinerary, they visited the Tiananmen flag-raising ceremony, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Old Summer Palace, the Lugou Bridge, and the Temple of Heaven on the 21st and 22nd. Over these two days, Zhou Chengfg’s wishes came true one by one.
Zhou Chengfg said it was the most unforgettable experience of his life. "Riding around Taihu Lake with Dad, eating at the lobster restaurant in Xuyi, having instant noodles on the road, visiting the Taierzhuang Memorial Hall together..." Reflecting on the moments from a month ago, Zhou Chengfg still seemed reluctant to let them go.
As for Zhou Yuanmao, the father, he truly saw his son grow. "During the ride, we mostly stayed in hotels, priced between 50 and 130 yuan," he said. They once stayed at a hotel where the bathroom was unimaginably filthy. The shower dripped water, the sink was coated with grime as if it hadn’t been cleaned in three or four years, and the hygiene was terrible. But the sensible son never complained or showed disgust.
"We got up at six and didn’t reach our destination until five in the afternoon. Each day we cycled roughly 120 km." To break the monotony of the trip, Zhou Yuanmao took his son to explore new things along the way—like how the locks of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal worked, how elm wood is made into plywood, and how corn is planted and harvested on a large scale in the north...
"When our child graduates from junior high, I plan to cycle the Sichuan-Tibet Highway with him. By then, he’ll be even taller," Zhou Yuanmao said, gazing at his now sun-tanned son with affection.