“Home at last, home at last!” At noon on January 16, at the entrance of Hayden Residence on Ma’anshan Road in Baohe District, Hefei, 19-year-old Zuo Tang, who studies in Shanghai, was warmly welcomed by his parents. After a “long journey” of over 550 kilometers in six and a half days, he rode his bicycle alone all the way from Shanghai back to Hefei.
Zuo Tang is a freshman majoring in economic journalism at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. After finishing his exams on January 9, while his classmates were busy catching trains and buses to go home, he decided to bike back. “I just went for it early on the morning of January 10,” said Zuo Tang.
On the first day, Changshu; on the second day, Changzhou… As he neared Changzhou, due to road construction, Zuo Tang even lost his way. His biggest regret was in Nanjing, where heavy smog prevented him from clearly seeing the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, which he had planned to visit. Zuo Tang said that encouraging texts from his roommate and caring calls from his parents made him feel he wasn’t biking alone. Upon arriving in Hefei, he rushed straight home to enjoy the “feast” prepared by his family, his excitement evident.