The top of the tricycle is equipped with solar panels.
Chinese couple Li Linxiang and Zhao Yafan have built their own solar-powered tricycle to travel the world and promote environmental awareness. Li, 66, and Zhao, 62, spoke to reporters in Butterworth, Malaysia on the 27th. Li said that during his career as a civil servant in China, he visited many scenic spots in the country and told himself that he would travel the world after retirement.
The couple, originally from Shenyang in Northeast China, are retired civil servants. They plan to use their life savings of 100,000 RMB (approximately 48,758 Malaysian Ringgit) to build a solar-powered tricycle and travel 100,000 kilometers, visiting 100 countries on foot to fulfill their dream of circling the globe.
“But with just my savings and my wife Zhao Yafan’s retirement pension, it’s simply not possible, so we developed a solar-powered tricycle to travel the world,” he said. The couple is currently using their fifth solar-powered tricycle. The fourth one was used in 2004, taking them two years to travel across every corner of China, covering approximately 50,000 kilometers in total. The first three tricycles were scrapped during the development phase.
Faced Visa Issues Upon Arrival in Malaysia
On August 25 last year, the couple set off from Guangxi, China, on their self-developed fifth solar-powered tricycle. By February 2, 2012, they had arrived in four countries: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.
“We arrived in Malaysia on March 25, but faced visa issues. Fortunately, the embassy staff helped resolve the problem,” said Lao Li. During their travels, they found that visa fees in some countries are very expensive—for example, a Thai visa costs $160.
He said that if their life savings and pensions are insufficient to travel the world, they will not rule out selling their house worth 200,000 RMB or raising funds from others to complete their dream of traveling 100,000 kilometers.
100km Per Day on Sunny Days
“We plan to complete the 100,000-kilometer journey in five years. Next, we’ll head to countries like India, South Africa, Argentina, the United States, and Canada.”
They will apply to relevant authorities to have this feat recognized as a world record. “My solar-powered tricycle can travel 100 kilometers a day if there’s enough sunlight, but if I rely on pedaling, I can only cover 50 kilometers a day.”
He said that if he passes away during the journey, he will donate his body to the relevant country.