Xu Mingze prepared a semester in advance, saving money from his living expenses each month to buy gear, and his next goal is to cycle into Tibet
“Choosing to cycle allowed me to see different scenery along the way, learn about various local cultures, and most importantly, make many friends,” said 19-year-old Xu Mingze from Yongchuan, who had just completed an extraordinary journey.
After finishing his freshman year, he cycled solo from Shijiazhuang back home in 14 days, arriving in Yongchuan on the evening of July 20, covering a total distance of 1,500 km. In an interview, Xu Mingze told reporters that he simply wanted to experience such a journey while he was young.
Preparing for a full semester in advance
Xu Mingze lives in the city and studies at Shijiazhuang Institute of Railway Technology. When asked why he planned this cycling trip, he said it was because taking the train was too tiring, and he wanted to try a special way to go home.
At the start of the new semester, he began making preparations. “For the entire semester, I saved money from my living expenses every month and gradually bought equipment,” Xu Mingze said.
In addition to the most basic cycling gear and helmet, he also prepared a variety of items that might be needed during the trip, such as flashlights, tire pumps, batteries, repair tools, a sleeping mat, a tent, and essential medications—buying as many as 20 batteries alone.
GPS navigation on a mobile phone is necessary during the ride, making a power bank essential. However, the capacity of commercial power banks is usually too small to support long-distance use. Xu Mingze, who majors in mechatronics, assembled a 16,000 mAh ultra-high-capacity power bank himself. It took him only one day from buying materials to completing the assembly.
Before setting off, he also learned bike repair and tire patching by taking a part-time job at a nearby repair shop on campus.
Met many fellow cyclists along the way
Along the journey, Xu Mingze can’t remember how many cities he passed, how many rugged mountain roads he rode, or how many harsh weather conditions he faced. When asked about his experience, he laughed and said he considered himself lucky, having met many fellow cyclists with similar interests—some even became friends.
When he reached Gongyi, Henan, a couple of fellow cyclists in their fifties took him to visit the hometown of Du Fu. Before parting, they even treated him to a famous local dish—large platters of meat. “The plates were as big as basins, all filled with meat. We really ate and drank heartily,” Xu Mingze said.
When he arrived in Xi'an, he met a girl from Chongqing at a youth hostel. She was a graduate student at Southwest University and also planning to cycle back to Chongqing. The two hit it off right away and got along famously.
“It was so wonderful to meet someone with shared interests in a strange place—it felt like fate,” Xu Mingze said. Although the girl had to rush back to register for school and didn’t continue the trip with him, they became good friends. When he cycled to Chongqing, she even came out specially to greet him.
His next goal is to enter Tibet via the Sichuan-Tibet Highway
A parent’s worry when a child travels far. As an only child, Xu Mingze’s parents initially disapproved when he proposed cycling home.
So he waited until just before final exams to not buy a ticket, and finally told his parents that all tickets were sold out and he had no choice but to cycle home—his parents had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
During the 14 days of his trip, his parents called him every day to check on his safety. Xu Mingze said that when he returned to Yongchuan, his parents were waiting downstairs early, and his mother almost cried when she saw him come back.
Xu Mingze said he didn’t make this decision to show off or act recklessly just because he was young—he simply wanted to experience the process. His next goal is to cycle into Tibet via the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, which he plans to accomplish during next year’s summer vacation.