White hada scarves, azure skies, the majestic Potala Palace... Recalling all that he experienced, Xiong Jianji (20 years old), a junior accounting major at East China Jiaotong University, remains thrilled. Xiong Jianji cycled to Tibet during his summer vacation. Over 27 days, he pedaled 2,203 kilometers and finally reached Tibet successfully.
Opposed by Parents, He Proved His Determination Through Two Cycling Trips
"One day during my sophomore year, after seeing a map of the Tibet route from a friend, I decided to challenge myself," Xiong Jianji said. When he went home for winter break and told his parents about his plan, they strongly opposed it. Seeing that persuasion was useless, Xiong Jianji decided to prove his determination through action. During last year’s Qingming Festival, he rode his bike back to his hometown of Fuzhou alone. Though his parents expressed surprise, their stance didn’t change. Xiong Jianji said although the whole trip was only 130 kilometers, the intense pain afterward made him realize that going to Tibet would not be easy.
During this year’s May Day holiday, he rode solo from Hangzhou to Shanghai. This time, his father was finally moved by his perseverance. Through these two cycling trips, he not only managed to persuade his parents but also gained valuable experience—like how to find cheap hotels and adapt to unexpected situations.
Normally, Xiong Jianji frequently browses various travel websites to learn about routes and guides for going to Tibet. "Maybe initially wanting to go to Tibet was just an impulse, but after reading the travel diaries of other travelers, going to Tibet became a dream of mine, with a different kind of meaning," Xiong Jianji said.
Soaked by Freezing Rain, Spent the Night on a 4,600-Meter Mountain
Through online communication, Xiong Jianji joined a group of travel enthusiasts planning to go to Tibet together. The entire team had 11 members, with the oldest being 33 years old, and 20-year-old Xiong Jianji being the youngest. To avoid holding the team back, Xiong Jianji began to keep up regular physical training. During school, he would basically go cycling or hiking every other day, and the 5-kilometer uphill section of Meiling was his favorite.
On July 5, filled with long-awaited anticipation, Xiong Jianji and his fellow travelers set off on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. By the sixth day of cycling, the muddy road of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway covered more than half of the bicycle wheels. "After over 300 kilometers of rough roads, many travelers chose to turn back or take buses." And among the hardships along the way, what impressed him the most was spending a night on the summit of Haizi Mountain, which sits over 4,600 meters above sea level.
Soaked by freezing rain, Xiong Jianji was numb with cold and utterly exhausted. At Haizi Mountain, he and two other travelers decided to spend the night on the mountaintop. "We could only squeeze into a makeshift hut with the herdsman, surrounded by piles of cow dung." Amid strong winds and heavy rain, the temperature at Haizi Mountain dropped to around zero degrees. "The kind Tibetan people gave us the only tsampa they had and made butter tea to help replenish our energy," Xiong Jianji said. Half-asleep throughout the night, he then felt that "having parents nagging nearby is such a happy thing."
Around the 20th day of the journey, Xiong Jianji’s willpower wavered. Aesthetic fatigue and the torment of physical exhaustion made him consider giving up cycling several times. "But I never truly gave up!" On the evening of August 1, Xiong Jianji successfully "fought his way to Lhasa." When he saw Lhasa, he couldn’t help but celebrate wildly with his fellow travelers.
Gained a New Attitude and Belief Toward Life
Tanned skin, rough palms, prominent knuckles—these are all traces left by the Tibet trip. Unity, friendship, mutual aid, striving, perseverance, victory... Now, all these words seem both real and precious to him. Along the way, when a small bridge was washed away by floods, over a hundred travelers decided to ford the river. In the torrential current, Xiong Jianji and other travelers built a human wall to escort others safely across before getting ashore themselves. "The river water was bone-chillingly cold, but everyone’s hearts were warm," Xiong Jianji said.
This cycling trip gave him a new attitude and belief about life. "Doing well what you don’t like, and creating brilliance in what you love—that is the value of life," Xiong Jianji said. His next goal is to ride a motorcycle across China without spending a penny from his family.