Photos from the journey
From July 21 to August 30, over 41 days he cycled a total of 4,257 km, passing through 59 cities, with expenses of just 2,000 yuan... This is an extraordinary feat accomplished by Cao Jinwei, a junior at Dalian Ocean University, during his summer vacation. He opened a notebook stamped with postmarks from over 40 cities, each one marking the time he spent cycling through those urban landscapes. The arranged postmarks on the notebook outline his cycling route over the summer.
The feat: 4,257 km in 41 days
Cao Jinwei is 1.7 meters tall, slim, with bright and alert eyes. He is a junior at Dalian Ocean University. According to his friends, he enjoys photography, is warm-hearted, and has been involved in many school activities. On July 21 of this year, while many students were still at home avoiding the summer heat, he packed his bags, hopped on his bicycle, and set off from Dalian to Qinghai Lake, passing through 59 cities, crossing nine provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, covering 3,663 km, arriving at Qinghai Lake on August 20, and spending two and a half days cycling around the lake. He then took a train from Xining to Qingdao, cycled from Qingdao to Yantai, and took a ferry back to Dalian from Yantai.
As early as early June, Jinwei began planning his route and packing. Using Baidu Maps, he mapped out his itinerary: over 41 days from July 21 to August 30, he would cycle 4,257 km, seeing mountains, rivers, and countless stories along the way. He told reporters that the journey was accompanied by loneliness and difficulties, and there were more than a few times he wanted to give up, but he ultimately persevered. "When I finally reached Qinghai Lake, I felt a profound sense of calm. The sky was vast, the white clouds gentle, and my heart as free as a bird."
Challenges: infected wound and a companion’s departure
Aside from the unpredictable journey and changeable weather, the biggest test was one’s willpower. Speaking of the toughest moments, Jinwei said that initially he had set off to Beijing with his roommate, before continuing alone to Qinghai. But on the fifth day, after reaching Jinzhou, his roommate had to cut the trip short due to family matters. By that time, Jinwei had also injured his leg—it was swollen and infected, oozing pus, and the daily cycling schedule was exhausting both physically and mentally.
According to Jinwei, he had planned each day’s route in advance. Typically, he would start riding at 5 a.m. when it got light, take a break after every hour of cycling, and ride for about eight hours a day on average. "If I couldn’t complete the day’s planned distance, it wouldn’t just be hard to find accommodation, it could even delay the rest of the journey. The night my roommate left, I hesitated about whether to quit—my physical condition and the uncertainty of the next day’s travel were all unpredictable. But when the sun rose the next day, I gritted my teeth, hopped on my bike, and set off again."
Life: camping for at least 15 days
Often, after the hardest moments come the turning points. On the sixth day, the day after parting with his roommate, Jinwei met two other cyclists at an abandoned gas station in Jinzhou. The three agreed to cycle to Tangshan together. Jinwei said that because the other two had several years of cycling experience and he was slower, they would agree on a meeting point before setting off to the next destination. "In Huludao, my bike tire got punctured and the brakes broke. After fixing the bike, I had already lost over two hours. I texted them to go ahead, but unexpectedly, the two cyclists came back over the hill to find me."
When they met, what cyclist Wang Huiyuan said deeply moved Jinwei. He told him, "Since we’ve met, we’re a team. There’s no such thing as abandoning your teammates." Jinwei said that although the detour was 20 km and the hill was steep, they kept in touch even after parting in Tangshan. He admitted that he often felt lonely along the way, but the beautiful scenery kept dispelling those feelings. He said that at most he cycled 187 km in a single day, camped out for at least 15 days, and spent only 2,000 yuan over the 41 days.
Experiences
Passed through 59 cities, stamped in 45
From Dalian to Qinghai, he passed through 59 cities, but Jinwei only managed to get postmarks from 45. In Luanxian County, he cycled four kilometers under a scorching 38°C just to get a stamp, and in Tangshan, he waited over two hours for the post office to open. "At first I wanted to get a stamp in every city as a reward for my effort, but later I didn’t mind so much and just went with the flow."
Reflecting on the journey, Jinwei said he encountered many kind people and heard many stories. When he asked a college student in Lüliang, Shanxi, for directions, the student invited him home for a meal. In Dingbian, he met a beekeeping couple in their sixties or seventies from Zhejiang who followed the blooming seasons across Zhejiang, Anhui, and Shandong...
Cao Jinwei’s 41-day, 59-city journey:
Dalian, Jinzhou, Pulandian, Wafangdian, Bayuquan, Panshan, Linghai, Jinzhou, Huludao, Xingcheng, Suizhong, Shanhaiguan, Qinhuangdao, Funing, Changli, Luanxian, Tangshan, Baodi, Xianghe, Beijing, Zhuozhou, Gaobeidian, Dingxing, Xushui, Baoding, Wangdu, Dingzhou, Xinle, Shijiazhuang, Luquan, Jingxing, Yangquan, Shouyang, Taiyuan, Taigu, Qixian, Pingyao, Fenyang, Lvliang, Liulin, Suide, Zizhou, Jingbian, Dingbian, Yanchi, Yinchuan, Yongning, Wu Zhong, Zhongwei, Pingchuan, Baiyin, Gaolan, Lanzhou, Minhe, Ledu, Haixi, Xining, Haiyan, Haibei.
Motivation
To fulfill a dream and prove he could endure hardship
According to Jinwei, ever since he was a child, his father often talked to him about his own experiences venturing into society from age 14, sometimes comparing his own growth journey with Jinwei’s.
Jinwei also admitted that although he grew up in the countryside, he rarely participated in farm work as a child, and was often thought by elders to be unable to endure hardship.
Jinwei told reporters that Qinghai Lake had always been a sacred place in his heart, and cycling there was a long-held dream. Asked why he chose to cycle in the summer, he said: "I hoped the trip would be a transformative experience, to prove I could endure hardship, to experience a different life, and summer was the perfect time."
Initially, when Jinwei shared his idea with his family, his parents opposed it, but as communication deepened, their attitude shifted from opposition to support. "When I told my dad, ‘I hope that when I’m old, I’ll have some stories to tell my kids,’ then my father’s attitude changed," Jinwei told the reporter.