Cycling in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing
“Son, look, next to the inscribed stone here, someone actually graffiti’d the four characters ‘Proudly Laughing at Mountains and Rivers.’ Doesn’t that really affect the view? So, when we travel in the future, we must never carve or draw randomly—that’s what being civilized means.” On August 12, Ms. Wang from Shandong was pointing at one of the photos in an exhibition of graffiti images at the entrance of Badaling Great Wall, teaching her son.
The images displayed in the graffiti exhibition were searched for and photographed by seven members of the Heart Road Cycling Team, who cycled from Guangzhou to Beijing starting July 13. On August 12, they were exhibited collectively at the entrance of Badaling Great Wall, with a total of 100 photos shown. Also displayed were signatures collected from tourists and citizens during the team’s “Refuse Graffiti, Advocate Civilized Travel” signature campaign along the way.
All kinds of graffiti versions, wildly varied
“Everywhere we went, we carefully searched for and documented graffiti traces, hoping to expose this uncivilized behavior, and also to show with real photos how important it is to refuse graffiti,” said Zhang Zhihao, leader of the Heart Road Cycling Team.
Reporters who carefully viewed the graffiti photo exhibition found that the various versions of graffiti were wildly varied. In addition to the common “XXX was here” and “XXX, love you forever,” there were also “XXX Bureau was here,” poetic inscriptions leaving “names,” and even those who left their QQ numbers. Stones, bamboo, beams, plaques, and city walls all became “disaster areas” for graffiti. One photo caught the reporters’ attention—it had inscriptions in three languages: Chinese, English, and Korean, with “LOVE CHINA” boldly written on the wall.
“A carving by a tourist at Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, based on the time left by the carver, has existed for over 40 years, making it the ‘elder’ of graffiti in the scenic area,” the team members said.
Promoting civilized travel, giving them courage to set out
Among the seven members of the Heart Road Cycling Team, there are five male and two female members, from several universities in Guangzhou, with an average age of 22. Some study medicine, others journalism. Based on their specialties, they had clear roles during the cycling trip. Chen Mingjian, one of the two female members who studies journalism, is the deputy leader of the team. Speaking to reporters, she said, “Some time ago, when Chinese tourists carved ‘was here’ on Egyptian relics, it made a big impression on us. It should be said that cycling brought us together, and the dream of promoting civilized travel gave us the courage to set out.”
“Although we did training before departure and consulted experienced cyclists, when crossing the Nanling Mountains, facing one slope after another, we still felt hopeless at times,” said female team member Xiaohong. The male members took good care of them, always arranging for her and Chen Mingjian to be in the middle of the group to prevent them from falling behind.
Cycling from Guangzhou to Beijing, the total distance is nearly 3,000 kilometers. At the start, Chen Mingjian wrote in her diary: “In the scorching summer, under the blazing sun, through wind and rain, living on the road—this cycling journey is destined to be long and tough, but I believe it will also be joyful. I just want to say, in order to get closer to nature, grow ourselves, and promote civilized travel, we are ready to march forward bravely!”
Enduring “high fever” along the way was the biggest challenge
“The scorching sun overhead, the left side of my face burning hot, the shadows of the seven cyclists on the right stretching longer and longer, the cicadas on the roadside trees chirping incessantly, only time seemed frozen, so long, so long,” the Heart Road Cycling Team described the cycling under intense heat on Weibo.
The Heart Road Cycling Team set out from Guangzhou on July 13, just as many areas along the route were enduring persistent high temperatures, with temperatures in many provinces exceeding 40°C, and road surface temperatures reaching as high as 50–60°C—this was the greatest test of the body and willpower during the ride. Team leader Zheng Haoguang said, “We get up at around six-thirty every day, set off after seven-thirty, rest at noon, and then set off again once it cools down a bit. One day at noon it was simply too hot, so I poured a basin of cold water over my head.”
Team member Li Shuai said that sometimes when it got really unbearable, the male members would find a shady spot by the road, take off their shirts to “cool down,” and sometimes they’d just lie down under a tree or under an eave and fall asleep. “It’s not a big deal for college students to endure some hardship. No matter how tough the environment, we can hold on,” said team member Xiao Linjian. Though he’s a bit on the thinner side, everyone calls him “Little Part,” but he says his inner strength is great—hot summers and scorching heat can’t stop our progress.
When passing through Miluo in Hunan, faced with the intense heat, Chen Mingjian jokingly replied to a cycling friend on Weibo: “Resting under the eaves in Miluo, we finally understand why Qu Yuan wanted to jump into the river back then—because it’s really too hot!”
Want to say “thank you” to the driver brother who helped cross the Yangtze
Team member Zhong Qijing told reporters that for this cycling trip, they are grateful for the help of the Wuyue Scenic Chain Hotel’s Ten Thousand Yuan Dream Fund, which enabled them to complete this journey of the heart and realize their dream. They also want to thank the restaurant owners along the way, the watermelon vendors, fellow cyclists, and everyone else who offered help.
“When we crossed the Yangtze River in Yueyang and entered Hubei, a driver brother from Guangxi kindly gave us a free ride across the river, saving us a lot of trouble. I hope to say ‘thank you’ again through the reporter,” said team member Li Shuai. He said he used to have a vague understanding of gratitude, but this cycling experience taught him what it truly means to be thankful when receiving help in moments of helplessness. “For us college students, getting close to nature and understanding society is the best way to grow ourselves.” Female team member Xiaohong added, “The biggest realization from this cycling trip is that for many, many things, as long as you bravely take the first step, dreams are actually close!”
Weibo excerpts
@HeartRoadCyclingTeam: Almost at Tianjin, how far can Beijing be? Along this journey, we’ve discovered some things, experienced some things, reflected on some things, and recorded some things. The tough cycling journey is bitter yet joyful. Getting close to nature and understanding society is essential for college students’ growth. Actually, stepping out isn’t that hard—take your first step. For us, many things are only understood once you’ve gone through them.
@HeartRoadCyclingTeam: Today at noon in Jining, around eleven, we came across a handmade noodle shop by the road, so we stopped for a meal. Girls ate a small bowl for 4 yuan, boys had a large bowl for 5 yuan. Full and sleepy, the boys borrowed cardboard from the boss, laid it on the ground, and slept under the shade of the sidewalk trees.
@HeartRoad――Maggie_Mingjian: On my last night in Changsha, I was on the Xiangjiang Bridge, feeling the river breeze. The moon was round and bright. Grandma must be asleep—I wonder what Mom and Dad are doing~