With dark skin, a tall and sturdy build, and an unyielding spirit — that’s the first impression that Song Zhaoyang, a young man from Kaifeng, gives. It was him who rode over 2,300 kilometers from Kaifeng to Xiamen, successfully fulfilling his “Xu Xiake Dream.”
Recently, reporters met Song Zhaoyang, who had just returned to Kaifeng by plane. He is a sophomore in the School of Journalism and Communication at Henan University. Song Zhaoyang’s idol is Xu Xiake, and he has always dreamed of cycling across the country. In his eyes, as a future journalist, he should see the wider world. His father said nothing about it but bought him a mountain bike worth more than 7,000 yuan, while his mother packed his travel bag with medicine, changes of clothes, and tools for fixing his bike, all the while repeatedly reminding him: “Be sure to stay safe, don’t be stingy with money, eat and sleep well, and don’t catch a chill at night.”
On July 10th, Song Zhaoyang set off amid his mother’s reminders and his father’s reluctance.
From Henan to Anhui, then from Anhui to Jiangsu, from Jiangsu to Shanghai, and from Shanghai to Zhejiang. Along this journey, Song Zhaoyang had one overwhelming sensation: heat. On the way to Shanghai, due to discomfort from the new environment and the intense heat, he suffered severe heatstroke. He had wanted to take a bus to Shanghai, but after trying to flag down a ride for 20 minutes, no driver would take him. The nearly 40°C heat scorched the wide road, and the trees on both sides drooped listlessly. He pedaled mechanically, his body swaying unsteadily. What should have been a one-hour ride took him two and a half hours.
Things got even harder after arriving in Fuding. The endless mountain roads greatly increased the difficulty of cycling. After struggling to get over one mountain, an even taller one loomed ahead. Every day, his stamina was completely drained. The worst part of riding through mountainous areas was encountering bad weather. Before departing from Daxi Town in Zhejiang, Song Zhaoyang had heard from local residents that Typhoon Saola was coming, and it was best not to ride through the mountains. But looking at the bright blue sky, he figured it would be fine. Half an hour into the ride, however, the sky suddenly darkened, and in an instant, fierce winds and heavy rain struck. Just as he was considering turning back, his brakes suddenly failed. The usually reliable mountain bike spun out of control and headed straight for the valley. Thinking, “This is it, I’m done for,” at the critical moment, he managed a sharp turn, and the bike slammed heavily into the mountainside — narrowly avoiding disaster. Afterward, he collapsed on the mountain road, his mind blank.
External challenges were one thing, but what tormented him most was how the endless mountain roads constantly tested his willpower and endurance. The roughly 700-kilometer stretch from Ningbo to Quanzhou was almost entirely mountainous. In his own words, “It was nothing but mountains and sky.” Countless times, as vehicles sped past him, he thought about giving up. But an elderly passerby told him, “Young man, there are only five kilometers of mountain road left — you can’t lose your resolve now.” Hearing those words, Song Zhaoyang yelled into the valley a few times, then continued on his way.
Along the way, he encountered many unexpected difficulties, but Song Zhaoyang felt happy whenever he could write in his cycling diary before going to bed. In every place he visited, he promoted his hometown of Kaifeng. Throughout the journey, he also met many kind-hearted people: Chang Zhixiang, the owner of a bike shop in Xuzhou, supported his ride by giving him some tire repair tools; Chen Jun, the owner of a bike store in Sixian County, Anhui, warmly invited him to a family dinner and shared practical cycling tips; and the owner of a grocery store in Zherong, Fujian, specially cooked him her signature dish after hearing that he had cycled across half of China. To repay their kindness and let them experience the warmth of someone from an ancient city, Song Zhaoyang made a promise with them: when the Chrysanthemum Culture Festival comes around this year, everyone will reunite in Kaifeng.
“The biggest takeaway is that I learned not to back down when facing difficulties — push through, and it’ll be over before you know it,” Song Zhaoyang said.
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