Departure photo
17 days, 4 provinces, 10 cities, 2,000 km — this is the cycling journey of Xia Yufeng, a 26-year-old from Neijiang.
He never pushed his bike forward during the 2,000 km ride; if a slope was too steep, he’d rest a bit, then power up. That, he said, is what “cycling” truly means.
On the 17th day, when Xia Yufeng arrived home, his parents were shocked: their son, who hadn’t been home in two years, had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Learning that he had cycled over 2,000 km from Guangzhou, they were even more astonished.
Xia Yufeng told Huaxi City Reader reporters that the 17-day, 2,000 km journey through four provinces and about ten cities wasn’t an impulsive decision but a plan he had prepared for half a year.
A song lyric made him quit his job and set off on a journey.
The 26-year-old Xia Yufeng studied in Guangzhou and stayed on after graduation, working in after-sales service at a trading company.
After being on the job for so long and getting everything down pat, he quit to embark on this trip. He said it wasn’t an impulse but something he had been planning for half a year.
“Friends and colleagues were quite supportive, saying this is what youth is all about.” After buying his bike and gear and handing over his work, he set off on his cycling adventure.
When asked about the reason for this biking trip, Xia Yufeng gave a simple answer. “Because of a song lyric.” He said he particularly liked a line from Lin Yuechong’s “The Bicycle Takes Me to Tibet”: “A lifetime holds too many stories, but which one is the most unforgettable...”
To have memories in his later years and not regret his youth, he has no regrets about quitting his job to fulfill his cycling dream. “Youth is the time to live without regrets. Later on, such ideas might not come to fruition for various reasons.”
Starting from Guangzhou, he passed through Zhaoqing in Guangdong, Wuzhou and Guilin and Sanjiang in Guangxi, Congjiang, Leishan, and Maotai in Guizhou, and then Luzhou in Sichuan. Yesterday, Xia Yufeng successfully returned to his hometown — Yuxi Town, Zizhong County, Neijiang City.
Xia Yufeng said that once he entered Sichuan, he felt he was cycling faster.
Xia Yufeng said he took over 600 photos along the way. “There were so many beautiful places. Often I wanted to stay and admire them, but I remembered I had to keep going.”
Three people left Guangzhou together with Xia Yufeng on bikes. “Two were cycling to Tibet. On the third day, one got sick, so I stayed to take care of him for a day.” The next day, he continued the rest of the journey alone.
On the road, Xia Yufeng witnessed many bike crashes and still feels uneasy thinking about them. “That’s not the scariest part. The worst is cycling alone in the rain or through desolate, uninhabited mountains. All you can do then is pedal hard and try to get out as fast as possible.”
Over the 2,000 km journey, Xia Yufeng said he never had to push his bike even once. “If a slope was too steep, I’d rest, then charge up.” That, he said, is what “cycling” means — not “pushing.”
Along the way, his bike tire blew out three times. “Luckily, I had repair tools. These tools plus essentials weighed a total of 40 jin, so the bike rack ended up breaking apart.”
Xia Yufeng told reporters that during the trip he stayed in hotels, and his meals were usually casual. Since he didn’t come across restaurants often while cycling, “over the course of the trip, I ate over ten packs of instant noodles. I lost five or six jin, and I think cycling is perfect for people looking to lose weight.”
Xia Yufeng said what was memorable was also trying lots of delicious local snacks. “Guangxi’s luosifen was one of them.”
His wish is to have the opportunity to cycle to Tibet.
After 17 days of travel, Xia Yufeng said he now needs to rest up. “I’ll head back to Guangzhou in a few days to find a job.”
“After all, one has to make a living.” He said the entire cycling trip cost over 6,000 yuan: more than 2,000 on gear, 2,000 on the bike, and another 2,000+ on food and lodging.
For the future, Xia Yufeng said he would love to cycle to Tibet again if given the chance. “Tibet is the pilgrimage route for cyclists. Not going to Tibet just doesn’t feel complete for biking enthusiasts.” He said he plans to bike to Yunnan, then enter Tibet via the Yunnan-Tibet Highway — the sacred path.