Morgan graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Chicago. Next Monday, he turns 24, and his life has already been quite remarkable: at age 9, he flew alone to Hawaii; from age 12, he spent four years in Spain; and from age 15, he worked as a crew member on four different ships, where he was the only non-Filipino.
Chris graduated with a degree in media from the University of California, Los Angeles, and wanted to become a journalist. He readily joined the bike ride after hearing the proposal from his high school friend, Morgan.
Morgan’s friend Dawei revealed that during the ride, Chris and Morgan mostly stayed with hosts through couchsurfing, and the rest of the time they camped or stayed in hostels.
Entering China from Kashgar, Xinjiang, and passing through Gansu, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and other places, yesterday around 6 p.m., Morgan and Chris arrived at Chen Yi Square on the Bund in Shanghai, with Chris pedaling his bicycle across the finish line first.
Three days ago, Chris and Morgan’s father flew from Los Angeles, USA, to Shanghai to join the ride and accompany them for the final 25 kilometers.
Why choose Shanghai as the final stop? Chris and Morgan said they had considered cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong, but ultimately decided on Shanghai. They had never been to China before.
When asked about the reason for “hitting the road,” Morgan said he wanted to become a journalist. Along the way, they paid attention to nonprofit organizations in the regions they passed through, and dug into local stories in every city they visited. The related articles they wrote were published in Forbes, The Atlantic, and Global View, among other publications or websites. Chris believes some experiences are irreplaceable — you have to discover yourself.