From Shijiazhuang to Chongqing: 19-year-old college student cycles 1,500 km home in 14 days — next goal: ride to Tibet
Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. Xu Mingze, a 19-year-old male student at Shijiazhuang Institute of Railway Technology, chose an unusual way to go home this summer vacation — cycling. He spent 14 days cycling alone from Shijiazhuang back to his hometown in Yongchuan, Chongqing, covering a distance of 1,500 km. In an interview, Xu told reporters that he wanted to experience something different while he was still young.
A “painful yet joyful” cycling journey
Cycling from Shijiazhuang to his hometown Yongchuan, Xu covered over 1,500 km in 14 days and finally arrived in Yongchuan, Chongqing on July 20. After finishing his freshman year, the 19-year-old Xu Mingze cycled home alone from Shijiazhuang in 14 days. To prepare for the trip, he had started saving money early by cutting expenses, using his monthly savings to buy the bicycle and equipment. “I couldn’t afford a new bike, so I bought a second-hand one. The money I earned from a part-time job during the summer after senior high was also used to buy these things,” said Xu.
Along the way, he passed through Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Chongqing, crossed the Yellow River, and traversed the Yangtze River. Reflecting on his cycling experience, Xu said the happiest moments were when he met fellow cycling enthusiasts in places like Handan, Gongyi, Xi’an, and Chongqing University Town. “When I was cycling to Luoyang, it suddenly started raining, but I kept going in the rain. I also cycled through the Qinling Mountains in the rain,” Xu said. Though he thought about giving up when facing difficulties, he decided to persevere since he had already set out. Thinking of his family waiting for him gave him renewed motivation. His parents called him once a day to check on him.
To reduce expenses, he ate at nearby universities when possible, sometimes brought his own food, and stayed at the cheapest local guesthouses before nightfall, with the lowest cost being just 17 yuan per night.
Assembling his own navigation battery
Xu Mingze studies mechatronics at Shijiazhuang Institute of Railway Technology. Aside from his wide range of hobbies, cycling and studying electronics are his favorites. “Back in my senior year of high school, I often rode my bike to the suburbs of Chongqing on Sunday afternoons. My favorite spot was Zhushan Cloud Sea,” Xu said. This cycling trip home was his first long-distance ride. “University classes aren’t very heavy, and in my spare time, I enjoy taking apart and tinkering with phones, computers, and other electronics. I’ve also studied many airplane models. The navigation battery I used for this trip was assembled by myself.” During the ride, he needed mobile GPS navigation, making a power bank essential. However, commercial power banks had limited capacity and couldn’t support long-distance use. Xu, who majors in mechatronics, used his expertise to assemble a 16,000 mAh high-capacity power bank himself. It only took him one day to buy the materials and complete the assembly. Additionally, through a part-time job at a repair shop near his school, he learned how to fix bikes and patch tires.
Experiencing something different
Xu is the only child in his family. His mother takes care of the household while his father often works away from home, leading a simple and happy life. When his parents first learned that their son planned to cycle 1,500 km home, they didn’t agree. Xu didn’t buy a ticket before finals and eventually told them that all tickets were sold out, leaving cycling as the only option. They had no choice but to reluctantly agree. “I don’t want my youth to have any regrets. While I’m young, I want to do what I want and gain more experiences and challenges,” Xu said during the interview while resting in bed due to an injury. “Yesterday, I went cycling and accidentally fell in a tunnel because the lighting was too dim. I had multiple scrapes but nothing serious.”
Xu said he hopes more of his friends will join the cycling community. “I’ll keep cycling. If conditions allow, my next plan is to go to Tibet.”