“Bird Grandpa” Cao Lian’an passed through Ningde City promoting environmental protection, calling on citizens to join the green travel movement.
A bicycle with luggage strapped to the rear seat and a flag inserted on the handlebar bearing the words “Protect the Environment, Cherish Health”; a 68-year-old man from Nanjing with silver hair and silver-rimmed reading glasses spent over three months cycling across half of China, covering approximately 7,000 kilometers...
On the morning of February 11, the second day of the Lunar New Year, this “Bird Grandpa” Cao Lian’an, clad in a “Chinese Golden Oriole costume,” passed through Ningde City to promote environmental protection and urge citizens to adopt green transportation.
Spent Four Months Sewing Four “Bird Costumes”
That day, at the entrance of Gande Chan Temple in Gan Tang Town, Fu’an, the reporter met “Bird Grandpa” Cao Lian’an. It’s hard to believe that this optimistic and talkative man is nearly 68 years old if you haven’t seen him with your own eyes.
“Many people say I look young, but I’m indeed close to seventy. My skin is still good—if skincare salespeople saw me, they definitely couldn’t sell me anything, haha!” Cao Lian’an said humorously.
Before retirement, Cao Lian’an worked in the labor union of a factory in Nanjing, responsible for education and publicity. He has two daughters; one is married in the United States, the other in Beijing. After retiring, he often participated in cycling group activities organized by his former colleagues.
Always concerned about the air and environment around him, one day in the first half of last year, he called on members of the “Cycling Brigade” to form a retired seniors’ environmental protection campaign team to cycle across the country doing public service promotion, with all expenses paid by themselves. The activity received many responses, but due to the long journey, family opposition, and other reasons, only 63-year-old Cao Yongxin, 77-year-old Zhu Jinhua, and Cao Lian’an among others actually went ahead.
During this time, in order to make the publicity more effective, Cao Lian’an, who has loved art since childhood and is skilled at oil painting, designed a set of “Golden Oriole costumes” for each person, symbolizing birds chirping and flowers blooming.
For a nearly 70-year-old man with no sewing experience, making four “bird costumes” featuring bird heads, wings, feathers, and tails was no easy task.
Initially, Cao Lian’an bought silk for the “feathers,” but found the silk too light to support the “wings.” He then switched to velvet. To ensure the “bird tail” could extend backward while cycling, he specially sewed it onto a waist bag so it would stay fixed when the bag was worn.
After more than four months of effort, Cao Lian’an, wearing reading glasses, finally completed the four “bird costumes.”
“Bird Grandpa” Shows His Journal to Reporters
Rode Over 7,000 Kilometers Promoting Environmental Protection
On October 29 of last year, after all preparations were complete, the trio set off southwestward from Nanjing. “We passed through Hefei in Anhui, Nanchang in Jiangxi, Changsha in Hunan, Chongqing, Chengdu in Sichuan, Kunming in Yunnan, Guiyang in Guizhou, Nanning in Guangxi, Qinzhou in Guangxi, Haikou in Hainan, Guangzhou in Guangdong, as well as Macau and Hong Kong,” said Cao Lian’an. They had just entered Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and Fuzhou in Fujian the previous week.
Cao Lian’an relied solely on a small paper map for directions, asking pedestrians for help when encountering unfamiliar routes. So far, he has cycled approximately 7,000 kilometers. Whenever they arrived in a provincial capital, they would go to crowded areas to carry out one or two days of environmental public service promotion.
Cao Lian’an said he was born before the liberation, and personally witnessed how the beautiful environment around him was affected by industrial enterprises. Even the capital frequently experiences hazy weather. Nowadays, as living standards improve, many have forgotten the traditional Chinese virtues of “saving every drop of water and every unit of electricity.” Many city dwellers don’t mind spending a bit more on electricity or water bills; some even drive short distances for the sake of showing off wealth or extravagance, with families owning multiple cars. “Of course, we shouldn’t be regressive, but wealth should not come at the expense of environmental protection. Therefore, we hope to use vivid and creative bike-riding actions across China to awaken and raise people’s awareness of energy conservation and environmental protection through concrete actions,” said Cao Lian’an.
Two Companions Return Home Midway, He Continues Alone
The three of them were mentally prepared for the difficulties they might encounter during the ride, but many things still exceeded their expectations along the way.
Reflecting on the cycling experience, Cao Lian’an let out a long sigh. In the past three months, they set off around 5 a.m. every day and stayed nearby at night, considering nighttime riding unsafe. He said the most memorable experiences included three places: Chuguang in Yunnan, Qinzhou in Guangxi, and Quanzhou in Fujian.
In Chuguang, Yunnan, during winter, they cycled along a mountain road between two peaks. The road was steep, icy, and a single misstep could send them tumbling off a cliff. They carefully pushed their bikes and walked for five or six hours.
On the Fu’an-Quanzhou highway heading toward Putian, Cao Lian’an’s bike rim burst, causing a flat tire. Then it started to rain heavily. Cao Lian’an waited by the roadside for over three hours before finally flagging down a taxi. The cost of hailing a taxi, towing the bike, and repairing it added up to three or four hundred yuan. “It was worth it to buy some peace of mind,” said Cao Lian’an. Despite the many hardships, he also met many kind strangers along the way who moved him deeply, including two staff members, Yuan Caihong and Zhai Gaoke, at the local disease control center clinic in Qinzhou, Guangxi. After hearing Cao Lian’an’s story, they not only warmly invited him to dine with them but also arranged for him to stay at the clinic.
“That night, they let me stay at the clinic. Their trust in a stranger really touched me,” said Cao Lian’an. To make the environmental campaign more effective, Yuan Caihong also helped contact the local newspaper and TV station, and continued sending him text messages afterward reminding him to stay safe on the road.
“What saddened me most was that two companions had to return home midway due to health issues,” said Cao Lian’an. Zhu Jinhua, 77, returned home after suffering from diarrhea in Qianshan, Anhui. Cao Yongxin, who had cycled with him for most of the journey, developed symptoms of pneumonia and emphysema due to altitude sickness in Kunming and had to receive intravenous therapy. Cao Lian’an cared for him in Kunming for half a month before Cao Yongxin flew back home.
After heading north from Quanzhou, it was during the Spring Festival. With few shops open along the way, Cao Lian’an had to survive on dry food like steamed buns while cycling through Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Lianjiang, and Luoyuan.
Ningde Has Beautiful Mountains and Waters, Believes the Future Will Be Even Better
Reflecting on his impression of Ningde, Cao Lian’an said: “This is where President Xi once worked. I came here to take a look. Ningde has beautiful mountains and waters, and the people are very hospitable.”
Cao Lian’an said: “Currently, the transportation and geographic environment here is less developed compared to other coastal provinces and cities, but I believe it will soon catch up and even surpass regions with better conditions.”
Yesterday, reporters contacted Cao Lian’an again. He told them that he is currently in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, and is expected to arrive in Hangzhou tomorrow or the day after. After promoting environmental protection locally, he will continue northward to Shanghai and then return to Nanjing.
“At that time, after resting for a while, I will invite Cao Yongxin and others to ride north again to promote environmental protection. If possible, we also plan to cycle around the world, using our actions to awaken people globally to the importance of energy conservation and environmental protection,” Cao Lian’an said over the phone.