Old Tang takes a photo during his cycling journey
On the morning of the 13th, a 67-year-old Shanghai senior could hardly contain his excitement: he was set to depart from Fuqing, head to Pingtan, and take the "Sea Strait" ferry to Taiwan today. His mission is quite "cool"—completing a cycling loop around Taiwan in just over ten days.
This senior, named Tang Xianggen, has long had a dream—to cycle around Taiwan—ever since retiring. Nine days ago, he set out solo from Shanghai on his bicycle, riding along national highways through Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Taizhou, Wenzhou, Ningde, and other places. After covering 1,133 kilometers, he arrived safely in Fuqing city the evening before last.
Last April, Old Tang gained online fame after cycling solo along National Highway 318 to Tibet, earning the nickname "cycling hero" from many netizens.
"After returning from Tibet, I’ve been planning a Taiwan island-loop ride," said Old Tang. Initially, his family opposed the idea, but eventually agreed due to his persistence.
He wasted no time. After securing his Taiwan Travel Permit and Entry Permit, on May 3rd, he began heading south from Shanghai. Despite persistent heavy rain and fog, he never gave up.
"Since my permitted stay in Taiwan is only 15 days, I plan to cycle about 100 kilometers per day—it’ll take over ten days to complete the loop." According to his plan, he will take the high-speed "Sea Strait" ferry across the Taiwan Strait to Taichung City. After completing the loop, he will return to Fuzhou by ferry, then take a train back to Shanghai.
Old Tang said that to save money, he chose affordable small shops for food and lodging along the way. The cycling route itself was also “researched” and planned online by him to be the most low-carbon and economical, with round-trip transportation costs totaling just over 1,000 yuan.
Old Tang’s luggage is simple—about 20 kilograms in total. Aside from essential clothing and bike repair tools, the most eye-catching item is an old laptop he brings along. "For this trip, to let everyone keep up with my progress, I even learned how to go online and create a blog," Old Tang joked. Although he’s older, he’s still pretty “trendy.” Each day upon arriving at his lodging, the first thing he does is spend two hours live-blogging his journey. Many netizens have cheered him on.
On the 12th, a small “hiccup” nearly disrupted Old Tang’s trip to Taiwan. When he arrived in Fuqing that day, he immediately went to the Sea Strait ferry ticketing agent to buy tickets. As he hadn’t booked in advance, ferry tickets for the round trip to Taiwan were in short supply. After learning his story, staff contacted the Pingtan Sea Strait ferry service. After some effort, they helped him get a free round-trip ticket to Taiwan. The elderly man was deeply moved.
After a one-day stay in Fuqing, on the morning of the 13th, Old Tang packed his bags and prepared to leave for Pingtan. He will take the "Sea Strait" ferry to Taiwan today. "After finishing the Taiwan island-loop ride, I won’t stop here!" said the nearly 70-year-old senior before departing. His next cycling adventure may take him to Southeast Asia, Russia, and beyond...