In 2011, Du Fengyan set off from Nanning, Guangxi, and after two years, he cycled all the way to South Africa. This cycling journey spanned the continents of Asia and Africa, involving life-and-death challenges, solitude, and encounters with breathtaking landscapes and foreign cultures...
All these experiences, both real and surreal, may seem unbelievable when recalled, yet they feel vividly close. Excitement, disappointment, loneliness, joy, gratitude, and surprises can all appear unexpectedly on the road ahead, and all a traveler can do is overcome obstacles and appreciate kindness.
The famous French science fiction writer once wrote a well-known novel called "Around the World in Eighty Days." In the past, traveling around the world seemed out of reach, and such books were categorized as science fiction. Nowadays, you can easily find guidebooks in bookstores that teach you how to travel to dozens of countries around the globe.
Traveling around the world has become a reality for many.
In 2011, Du Fengyan set off from Nanning, Guangxi, and cycled through Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan... a total of 22 countries, finally arriving in South Africa. On October 24, this post-80s man returned to Beijing. For about two years, his cycling route mostly passed through rural areas, costing him around 40,000 yuan in total. During the trip, he mainly relied on camping, couchsurfing websites, or staying with locals. Now, he has returned home to rest and hopes to help more people who dream of traveling around the world in the future.
Courage: Scaring Off Robbers with Chinese Kung Fu
Du Fengyan said, "All kinds of things happened during the cycling journey, and I came close to various dangers. I was once hit by a bullet casing, but fortunately, I made it through safely." Such experiences are less like a regular trip and more like an adventure. Ancient people had the bold spirit of traveling the world with swords, and today, people can dare to venture into the outside world with just a bicycle and a backpack. Du Fengyan’s journey wasn’t exactly filled with eighty-one trials, but it was full of twists, turns, and unexpected events.
Before setting off, he did a lot of preparation work, including anticipating possible difficulties and corresponding solutions. He familiarized himself with the countries he would pass through, prepared bicycle parts, researched road conditions, and packed a GPS, among other things. Even so, no amount of preparation could cover every contingency. Sometimes, knowing the general situation of a country didn’t prepare him for suddenly encountering robbers along the way. Having bicycle parts didn’t help without the right tools to fix them, and even with knowledge of the roads and a GPS, road construction could force a change in route. In bustling areas, food and lodging weren’t a concern, but desolate places always appeared. To avoid going hungry, cold, or being attacked by wild animals, he had to figure things out on his own.
"Difficulties are common. The key is how to overcome them. No matter how much you prepare, there will always be something you didn’t anticipate. When facing difficulties, maintaining a positive mindset and adapting to solve them is what’s needed on the road." Just like when he encountered robbers, he used Chinese kung fu to scare them off. Along the way, Du Fengyan met quite a few robbers, most of whom were young teens. In their eyes, Chinese people all know kung fu, so using that to intimidate them worked. He had learned martial arts at home since childhood and had also studied under a master in Beijing. His martial arts skills played an unexpectedly useful role during the trip.
Joy: Embracing Local Customs and Experiencing Cultural Differences
"I spent most of my time cycling in rural areas, interacting with locals daily, learning about local customs and culture, experiencing life there, and quickly integrating into the community. Differences are inevitable, but they didn’t upset me. If you cling to your original views and refuse to understand or accept the local culture, you won’t enjoy this kind of joy. Along the way, I ate local food, learned local etiquette and language, stayed and talked with locals, and shared thoughts and feelings. That process was usually joyful. I brought them happiness, and in turn, I felt happy too. If you can understand and respect the local culture, the locals will treat you the same way. I also met many travelers who looked down on local food, discriminated against local Black people, thought their culture and lifestyle were backward, disliked how locals appeared dirty or messy, and avoided interacting with them. In that case, it’s hard for them to enjoy the journey." As Du Fengyan said, traveling actually requires a good mindset—experiencing new and fascinating things as a participant rather than criticizing them as a judge. Embracing local customs is not only a sign of respect for locals but also allows you to see the many facets of the same thing.
Loneliness: Cycling Is a Long Process of Endurance
Undoubtedly, cycling in desolate places brings a deep sense of loneliness. Looking around, shouting yields no response.
The grasslands of Armenia, the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, the edge of the Sahara Desert in Sudan, the northeastern part of Ethiopia—the hottest place on Earth, Djibouti and Somaliland, the northern part of Namibia... These are all the desolate places Du Fengyan passed through. For him, after cycling for three or four months, a so-called travel syndrome would set in, and the feeling of loneliness would become very apparent. "Desolate places do feel lonely. Cycling is a long process of endurance, and it gets better gradually. Fortunately, I could adjust and recover in time."
There were times when he cycled alone, but also opportunities to cycle with others. During the Southeast Asia leg, Du Fengyan mostly cycled alone, except for cycling a few dozen kilometers with a friend in Vietnam and about 200 kilometers with a friend in Cambodia. In Iran, he cycled with another biking friend, who later continued from Iran through Turkey into Europe. After arriving in Kenya, he met a fellow cyclist, a post-90s young man, and they cycled together to South Africa. For the rest of the time, he mostly cycled alone, occasionally meeting cyclists from other countries and cycling with them for a few days.
Actually, along the way, he met many people who shared his passion. Their cycling routes were also from Southeast Asia through the Middle East to North Africa, and then to Africa. The route from Cairo to Cape Town is also popular, with many people traveling it by car, motorcycle, or bicycle. "The route from Cairo to Cape Town is actually quite famous internationally, but very few people in China know about it," Du Fengyan said, adding that he only learned this after starting his cycling journey.
Gratitude: Accepting Kindness and Spreading Positivity
Many tourists come to see the great wildebeest migration on the African savannah. Similarly, for Du Fengyan, visiting national parks in Africa to see wildlife was something he longed for, but with the help of others, his wish was fulfilled.
From Kenya to Tanzania, through Uganda and Rwanda, although he cycled through several national parks along the way, he only saw some common animals, and not in large groups. The high entrance fees of national parks posed a significant barrier for a budget traveler like him, and the fact that biking wasn’t allowed inside the parks added another obstacle. On the cycling journey, Du Fengyan met another helpful fellow traveler, a fellow from Shandong. With the help of these warm-hearted people, he finally achieved his wish of seeing wildlife in national parks.
Accepting help from others is a common occurrence during travels. While receiving generous help from others, Du Fengyan also hopes to use his own strength to assist those in need. "I hope to do my small part to help those in need and spread some positivity. Today’s society is full of restlessness, moral deficiencies, and negativity. I want to do what little I can to change this, such as helping build a school for children in a rural area of Somalia."
Du Fengyan’s plan to travel around the world has now completed the Asia to Africa leg. The next phase of his plan will be realized gradually in the future, but for now, he plans to focus more on family and life. "After traveling all this way, I’ve realized that what we should truly cherish are the family and friends around us."