[attach]1722141[/attach]
Arriving at the picturesque Xishuangbanna
One person, one mountain bike, and a 15-kilogram backpack loaded with eggs, noodles, a stove, a tent, and more. Since March 6 of this year, Zhou Chunhua, known as the "cycling hero," embarked on his first solo overseas cycling trip after his journey to Tibet. Departing from Ruian, he passed through multiple provinces and cities in China including Fujian, Shenzhen, Hainan, and Guangxi, then entered Vietnam. After cycling through multiple Vietnamese cities such as Ha Long Bay and Hanoi, he returned to China, covering a total distance of over 5,500 kilometers in 70 days.
Riding in a foreign and unfamiliar land, he not only experienced the local customs and cultures but also endured sandstorms and rain. During the journey, unable to speak the local language, he even got separated from his fellow cyclists. After four anxious days, he managed to exit Vietnam and return to China, relying solely on gestures for communication.
Recently, at the Giant Bike Club on Wansong East Road, reporters met Zhou Chunhua. At 55, he looks much younger than his peers, with dark skin and a bright smile on his face.
Fellow cyclists gave him confidence
This cycling trip was primarily aimed at Vietnam. In the beginning, along the border areas, he was very happy and even met up with two other cyclists from Shanghai and Shenzhen.
One month after setting off, Zhou Chunhua arrived in Dongxing Town, Guangxi, which borders Vietnam. There, they encountered a Canadian cyclist. “At that time, we all happened to be passing through Dongxing Town. Seeing another cyclist was exciting, and since Xiaoli from Shenzhen spoke English, communication wasn’t a problem,” Zhou Chunhua said.
The Canadian cyclist impressed Zhou Chunhua a lot. In his 50s, without a wife or children, he had sold his house and car and was traveling the world solo by bicycle. He had been cycling from Canada to China for about 18 months and planned to continue his journey.
That day, the group of three became four, and together they enjoyed the beautiful scenery and tasted local cuisine. “The Canadian cyclist showed me a new realm — carefree and free-spirited,” Zhou Chunhua said. Along the journey, he always met all kinds of people and learned a lot from them, which made him increasingly confident about his trip to Vietnam.
The Adventure in Vietnam
Zhou Chunhua and his companions headed to Vietnam, with their first stop being Ha Long Bay, followed by Fangchenggang and Hanoi. In Vietnam, Zhou witnessed vastly different customs and ways of life. Four days into cycling in Vietnam, just as they were leaving Hanoi, Zhou cycled ahead at a faster pace. Although they had agreed to meet the others at the next stop, he took a wrong turn and got farther and farther from the meeting point. “We were supposed to cycle about 300 kilometers to reach the border crossing, but after 300 kilometers, locals told me I still had over 170 kilometers to go. I was certain I had taken the wrong route,” Zhou Chunhua said.
Cycling through unfamiliar places, breathing unfamiliar air, and hearing unfamiliar accents, Zhou Chunhua, who had never felt uncomfortable in China, started to panic: he had no GPS, didn’t know how to get back to China, and couldn’t speak Vietnamese to communicate with locals. He worried he was straying further off course, as going deeper into Vietnam meant getting farther from China and making it even harder to find someone who could speak Chinese.
To figure out the general direction, he took out a world map and pointed to China, asking locals along the road for directions. “To make sure the directions were correct, I asked four or five people in a row. Only when they all pointed in the same direction did I dare to proceed,” Zhou Chunhua said.
One evening, Zhou Chunhua arrived at a small village. After searching for a long time, he couldn’t find a “HOTEL.” Out of options, he approached a local farmhouse, put his hands together under his head to mimic sleeping.
Fortunately, the homeowner understood his gesture, warmly invited him in, and showed him to a bed and bathroom on the second floor, indicating he could sleep and wash there. At dinnertime, the host prepared many local snacks and invited Zhou to eat with them, even offering him a small glass of liquor.
“The family’s house was large, surrounded by plants. The upstairs was where the whole family slept. They didn’t have beds, just wooden partitions between rooms with no doors, using curtains instead. At night, they’d just spread out their bedding in the compartments,” Zhou Chunhua said.
That night, feeling the kindness and simplicity of the Vietnamese people, Zhou Chunhua had a good sleep. The next day, after thanking the hosts, he set off again...
This time, he cycled alone for two days, crossed many mountains, and arrived at a Vietnamese town — Lục Ngạn County. From a distance, he saw a Vietnamese woman and once again pulled out his map to ask if this was the way to China.
“You’re close to the Red River border crossing; you can exit here.”
Hearing Mandarin, Zhou Chunhua was instantly excited.
“I know a Chinese person who runs a supermarket here. Let me take you to him,” the woman said.
Zhou Chunhua followed the woman to the supermarket and met his fellow countryman. “At that moment, my heart, which had been in my throat the whole time, finally settled!” Zhou Chunhua said. Those days were the most exhausting of his entire trip. That night, he stayed at the supermarket, eating a lot by himself — several instant noodle packs, sausages, and various snacks.
“It was tough at the time, but now, looking back, it’s all just good memories,” Zhou Chunhua said.
Baptism by Storm
Finally, he crossed the border. As soon as he entered, his phone started ringing non-stop. “Where are you?” came the anxious voice of his cycling friend Xiaoli on the phone.
It turned out Xiaoli and the others had been waiting at the border for a long time. They figured he must have gotten lost.
Zhou Chunhua’s final stop was Yunnan, which involved many mountain roads. He cycled in Yunnan for over 20 days, with about half the time spent climbing uphill. Often, he wouldn’t see a single person along the road all day.
On the third day in Yunnan, Zhou Chunhua encountered continuous uphill sections at altitudes above 2,000 meters. From 9 a.m. to around 2 p.m., about five hours of grueling uphill riding left him utterly exhausted, and to make matters worse, he was caught in a torrential downpour.
Around 1:00 p.m. that day, a sudden heavy rain drenched Zhou Chunhua completely. Although he had a raincoat in his backpack, the strong wind and rain made it impossible for him to even take it out. In an instant, he was soaked to the skin. Coupled with four continuous hours of uphill cycling, he was utterly exhausted and had no choice but to get off the bike, push it, and take shelter under a large rock by the roadside.
Xishuangbanna has a tropical rainforest climate, where rain comes suddenly and also ends just as abruptly. Within half an hour, the rain stopped. Enduring the discomfort, he cycled for another half hour and finally reached the town, where he found a local family to change out of his wet clothes.
“Some people say I’m silly for choosing to suffer by riding a bicycle when staying at home is so comfortable. But I want to tell them, the most beautiful scenery is all along the way,” said Zhou Chunhua.
Eating and sleeping in the embrace of nature
No matter where he goes, Zhou Chunhua carries a large backpack filled with items such as eggs, noodles, a stove, and a tent. “Don’t underestimate this backpack—it can be ‘lifesaving’ in special situations,” Zhou Chunhua said.
Although this trip didn’t take him to completely uninhabited areas, it wasn’t uncommon to find no hotels. During the two-month journey, there were six days when he relied on the tent from his backpack to get through the long nights. On the second day in Xishuangbanna, Zhou Chunhua arrived at a remote mountain village with almost no shops—just a school. The accommodation there was limited, but the schoolyard was spacious, so he decided to pitch his tent there. At night, he took out his small gas stove, used the sausages and noodles from his backpack, and cooked a fragrant pot of noodles. “After a hard day’s work, sitting under the starry sky, savoring the noodles I made myself, surrounded by a group of curious students—that feeling was quite magical and enjoyable.”
This tent was not only pitched at the school but also in front of the town government office building and in the yard of a villager’s home. These places all had one thing in common: beautiful surroundings with plenty of flowers and trees. “It’s like sleeping peacefully in the arms of nature,” Zhou Chunhua said.
At night, besides pitching a tent or staying in a hotel, Zhou Chunhua often lodged with local farming families. Before staying with them, he would always ask how much he should pay, but they would always wave their hands, indicating it wasn’t necessary. Money seemed unimportant in the face of the warm hospitality of the villagers—they valued mutual care more.
“Everywhere I go, I try the local delicacies, like snacks such as ‘shoufen’ and ‘qingliangbu,’ as well as fruits like pineapples and coconuts. Although some of these things can also be bought in Ruian, they lack the authenticity and the joy of the experience,” Zhou Chunhua said.
Zhou Chunhua said he really hopes to share his various life experiences and joys with everyone, and he also hopes that more people will hit the road like him to experience a different kind of life.