Chen Linhong’s cycling route home
On the 28th, Chen Linhong takes a photo on Sichuan Provincial Highway 309.
“When you bravely set out on a journey and persevere to reach your destination, it’s an indescribable sense of fulfillment.” On January 27, 18-year-old college freshman Chen Linhong chose to cycle back to his hometown in Yibin. In less than two days, he covered a distance of 368 km with expenses of just over 60 yuan. He said that the cycling process itself was also a learning experience, allowing him to see the world beyond what maps or books could show.
Buying maps and seeking travel tips before departure
Chen Linhong, from Yibin, Sichuan, is a freshman in the College of Agronomy and Biotechnology at Southwest University. After the holiday break began, he had some matters to attend to and stayed at school until January 25. “Normally, train tickets from Chongqing to Yibin aren’t hard to get, but I didn’t buy one in advance.” On the morning of the 25th, he came up with the idea of cycling home. “I love cycling—I’ve been doing it for six years. I have more free time during the holiday, and cycling can save me money on transportation. Why not?”
On January 26, he started looking up information online and seeking travel advice, and separately bought maps of Sichuan and Chongqing. The next morning at 8 a.m., he packed his bags and set off from Beibei.
“With two road maps, plus a phone GPS navigation system and an odometer, that’s enough to keep me from getting lost on the national highways,” Chen Linhong said. Along the way, he passed through Bishan, Yongchuan, Rongchang, Longchang, and Fushun, finally arriving in Yibin at 4 p.m. on the 28th. His odometer showed that he had cycled 368 km.