After 44 days of grueling, rugged cycling through wind and exposure, He Bin, a 31-year-old from Xinjiang, finally fulfilled a long-held dream—returning to his hometown to honor his ancestors. At 4 a.m. on August 15, in front of the Xibe Family Temple in Shenyang, He Bin stared at the gilded characters on the plaque and could no longer hold back his emotions...
"Since childhood, I’ve heard elders say that Shenyang is the Xibe people’s first homeland, and everyone from our place hopes to come back and see it. It just so happened that I had summer vacation, so I wanted to take this opportunity to experience what our ancestors felt when they made the arduous journey to Xinjiang in ox carts." That afternoon, before the ancestor worship ceremony began, He Bin shared his experiences along the way with us.
Securing supplies was a key issue during the ride, but in many stretches of the journey, the vast, silent, and desolate landscape meant going an entire day without seeing a shop—buying water became a major challenge. "Sometimes I couldn’t even drink a sip of water all day, and with the heat being so intense, there were several times I nearly dehydrated." The thermometer he carried showed temperatures reaching 55°C along the Turpan–Hami route, with the wind blowing scorching hot.
The phrase "roughing it" perfectly described this journey. The tent He Bin carried served as his temporary home. Occasionally, when he came across an abandoned house, he’d get excited for a while because it provided shelter, and he didn’t have to worry about getting drenched in heavy rain. His first shower came 10 days into the trip. "I felt like I was practically covered in mud, and I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I checked into a hotel and gave myself a thorough wash."
Although he had cycled before, an experience this long and far-reaching was new for He Bin. He said, "I didn’t dare tell too many people when I set out, afraid that if I couldn’t stick it out halfway, it would be embarrassing..." Halfway through the journey, He Bin also began experiencing physical issues: due to a prolonged lack of meat, severe malnutrition left him feeling unwell all over. "At one point, I didn’t even have the strength to pedal, so I found a place and stuffed myself silly."
Along the way, he fell into ditches and got injured. But the journey also brought He Bin a lot of warmth. "I cycled 4,800 kilometers, and after many people learned I was riding back to my hometown to honor my ancestors, they kept giving me water and food. Some even hung a bunch of supplies on my bike."
Upon arriving in Shenyang, He Bin felt even more warmly welcomed by the locals. "The friends from the Xibe Ethnic Association were incredibly hospitable, making me feel a deep sense of kinship, like reuniting with old friends after a long separation..."