Person Profile
Name: Lian Mingqiao, Female, 23
Occupation: Freelance photographer
Resume: Started school at age 3, university at 15, moved to Beijing at 20
Motto: Youth is not spent in the passenger seat of a man’s car
Riding a motorcycle from China to Turkey along highways for 30,747 km—this is the remarkable feat accomplished by Lian Mingqiao, a post-90s Sichuan girl, at the age of 23. Setting off from Chengdu on July 3 this year, her youthful wheels rolled through Mongolia, Russia, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, and finally arrived in Turkey—where the motorcycle that accompanied her through the arduous journey has been permanently collected by the Rahmi M. Koç Museum of Vehicles in Istanbul, Turkey. “Saying ‘I want to go’ six months ago was a promise; saying ‘I made it’ six months later is fulfilling that promise. Words must lead to action, and all that remains is silence,” said Lian Mingqiao.
Awkward Moments
Encounter with a couple attempting sexual assault
Damaged passport delays the journey
At the beginning of the trip, Lian Mingqiao’s brother accompanied her from Chengdu to Manzhouli. Since her brother didn’t have a passport, she had to continue the rest of the journey alone.
“I almost got raped by a Pakistani man and his Russian wife!” Lian Mingqiao said angrily. At the time, the Russian woman had stripped her naked, and in desperation, she gripped a pair of scissors to defend herself and took out her international health certificate, pointing to the HIV logo on it. “Luckily, I ran into not-so-bright opponents.” Since the couple couldn’t understand English and mistakenly thought she had AIDS, they let her go.
“The eye on my passport photo had somehow been scratched out.” The damaged passport caused Lian Mingqiao quite a bit of trouble. Each border crossing—from China to Mongolia, Mongolia to Russia, and Russia to Finland—involved hours of scrutiny. Eventually, Lian Mingqiao sought help from the Chinese Embassy in Finland and had the photo replaced, resolving the passport issue.
“I’ve come this far—going back halfway would be too frustrating.” Lian Mingqiao had thought about turning back, but ultimately toughed it out and completed the journey.
Heartwarming Moments
Three little boys:
“We’re your Russian friends”
Being alone most of the time, Lian Mingqiao mostly kept herself company. She loved sitting on the ground motionless for an hour, photographing the people who passed by within that hour, observing their subtle expressions. Many friends she met along the way were also unforgettable. In Mongolia, kind herders let her pitch a tent in their garage to take shelter from the rain; while camping on the beach in Turkey one night, three police officers offered her a room to stay in.
In Russia, she unexpectedly gained three “friends.” On the road from Moscow to St. Petersburg, just as Lian Mingqiao had finished setting up her tent, three adorable Russian boys came to visit. “Do you have friends in Russia?” “No.” “Finland?” “No.” “Sweden?” “No...” One boy reached out his hand to Lian Mingqiao and said, “We’re your Russian friends—we three!” Hearing this, Lian Mingqiao burst out laughing. “They were so cute, even asking if I had any money. I said no, and one of them actually pulled out a few coins and gave them to me—12 rubles!” Before leaving, the boys told her not to leave early the next morning at 8 a.m., as they would pass by her tent on their way to school and wanted to see her off.
“On an autumn morning, amid the dew, three unfamiliar boys brought you breakfast and even apologized, ‘Sorry, no warm bread.’” Lian Mingqiao said she hopes to one day return there to see those three Russian friends again.
Moments of Homesickness
“My ‘steed’ will stay in Turkey forever
I want to go back to Chengdu and eat cured meat
“I packed a bunch of dresses, cheongsams, lipsticks, and the like. I even brought two or three sets of riding gear, planning to dress up during breaks. But after setting off, I realized all these things were just burdens.” Along the way, Lian Mingqiao cut her long hair, reduced her luggage by two-thirds, and learned how to do basic bike repairs and oil changes. From initially staring helplessly at the 400-pound motorcycle lying on the ground, to barely lifting it after removing the luggage, she can now easily lift her “steed” even when it’s fully loaded.
“Sweetheart, it’s light snow today, Grandma’s started curing the meat,” a text message from her father made Lian Mingqiao homesick. On the 20th, Lian Mingqiao handed over the motorcycle that had accompanied her across Eurasia to the Rahmi M. Koç Museum of Vehicles in Istanbul, Turkey—its odometer forever stopped at 30,747 km. When she left, she felt it was looking at her reluctantly. “I hope the museum takes good care of it. In ten years, I’ll bring my child to see it.” The museum director, Mr. Ertuğrul Dülger, responded: “Not just your child, but your child’s child, your descendants—they can all come to see it. It will always be here. This is the story of a brave and strong Chinese girl, and more importantly, it will tell this story to people and children all over the world!”
Her Journey
Started school at age 3, university at 15
Longing for a “world of 100,000 square meters”
Personal Message
“My mother once told me that every child in this world is born with a world as vast as 100,000 square meters. But as time passes and they grow up, their world gradually shrinks to just one square meter. She hopes that every child can have a world as big as 100,000 square meters. As long as you dare to dream and act, you should boldly strive for and seek your own world.”
Lian Mingqiao was born in Yibin, Sichuan, a small village near the Yangtze River. The “wild” Lian Mingqiao started primary school at the age of 3, got admitted to Sichuan Normal University at 15, and after graduating at 19, worked as a designer at a real estate advertising company in Chengdu. “I really loved taking selfies back then, and I thought, why not become a photographer?” So she did—at the age of 20, Lian Mingqiao went to Beijing alone and began her life as a “free-spirited” photographer.
“My mother once told me that every child in this world is born with a world as vast as 100,000 square meters. But as time passes and they grow up, their world gradually shrinks to just one square meter. My mom has three children, and she hopes that every child can have a world as big as 100,000 square meters. As long as you dare to dream and act, you should boldly strive for and seek your own world.” Her mother is someone who always follows through on what she says, and that has had a huge influence on her.
“I’m just a vessel, a vessel for the dreams of one or many people. In this world, there really isn’t any success that can be achieved by one person alone.” Currently, Lian Mingqiao is preparing to go to Cappadocia, Turkey, to experience a hot air balloon ride.
Her Motivation to Move
Youth Doesn’t Belong in the Passenger Seat of a Man’s Car
Be More Essential, More Effervescent
Messages from the Person
“Youth is brave and fearless, not a slave to money or fame. I don’t want to spend it on my face, my clothes, or sitting in the passenger seat of some man’s car. Youth should be more essential, more effervescent, more brave.”
Lian Mingqiao has been wondering what makes so many people want to embark on a journey. “Along the way, I kept asking myself why I was undertaking such a seemingly silly trip. The answer didn’t seem to be on the road, but in the moments of quiet.”
Before setting off, Lian Mingqiao stayed in Chengdu for a long time. Aside from getting some things in order, she also gave herself time to think. “Should my youth be spent laying the groundwork for a better life in the future? I think it should. But I still have plenty of time to achieve more prestige and wealth.” Lian Mingqiao declared her travel philosophy loudly: “Youth is brave and fearless, not a slave to money or fame. I don’t want to spend it on my face, my clothes, or sitting in the passenger seat of some man’s car. Youth should be more essential, more effervescent, more brave.”
“It’s a lifestyle I’ve thought about for a long time and really wanted to live—a kind of youthful bravery. Setting aside part of my youth to enjoy it, feel it, and complete it.”