On the 27th, Haikou Evening News reported on a father in Haikou who took his son on a northbound cycling “study tour” to relieve the boy’s stress. The report garnered widespread attention, and the father, Zheng Guixian, was hailed by netizens as the “Haikou Good Dad.”
Learning life lessons along the way
On the afternoon of the 27th, reporters contacted Zheng Guixian and his son, who were on their study tour. According to Zheng, they set off early that morning from Leizhou City heading for Zhanjiang. They grabbed quick meals at small local restaurants along the way and had by then cycled to Taiping Town in Mazhang District, Zhanjiang City. They planned to stay at a small hotel in town that night.
“We learned a lot today. We conducted some surveys on children’s education along the route and exchanged parenting experiences with many parents, paying attention to children’s psychological issues,” said Zheng Guixian. His son, Zheng Xingjian, also said that although it was just the first day of their journey, he felt he had learned many valuable lessons. He also expressed gratitude to his father for putting aside work to cycle with him for the sake of his physical and mental health, saying he truly treasured this trip.
“I had two tire blowouts today because I overinflated the rear tire. It’s a small thing, but I learned some lessons from it, even some about how to be a good person. This trip has been really enjoyable, and I look forward to what we’ll learn at the next stop,” said Zheng Xingjian. His father taught him that this embodies the principle of “pride goes before a fall, while humility brings benefit”—overinflating a tire makes it prone to bursting, so in life and work, one must also stay humble and avoid arrogance.
Cycling strengthens father-son communication
Regarding the title of “Haikou Good Dad” given by netizens, Zheng Guixian said he felt unworthy of the honor. “Due to work commitments, I used to spend very little time with my son. I left home for work when he was just 100 days old and was often absent even when he reached high school. Opportunities to join him in activities were few and far between.”
Zheng Guixian said he felt quite ashamed about this and hoped that through this study tour, not only could his son relieve stress and experience life, but it would also enhance communication between them as father and son. He also wanted to learn how to become a better parent, and promised to spend more time with and show more care for his child in the future.
The father and son faced this long study tour with courage and confidence. Zheng Guixian said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles—this journey would help them build resilience in the face of difficulties and risks. They wanted to feel the power of knowledge in practice and improve their ability to handle challenges.