After arriving in Nanning, Wu Haobin asked a reporter to take a commemorative photo
Whether donation recipients are truly in need and whether the charitable funds are used exclusively for their intended purpose have always been concerns for well-meaning donors. Over this issue, Shanghai resident Wu Haobin made a bold decision — to spend 300 days cycling around the border provinces (and autonomous regions) of China, personally visiting impoverished primary schools in these areas, documenting the children’s learning conditions, and providing the most authentic materials for those wishing to donate to education.
On March 16, Wu Haobin arrived in Nanning.
On March 16, Wu Haobin arrived in Nanning.
Wu Haobin, 36 years old, graduated from a university in Shanghai. A natural-born traveler, he has always hoped to fulfill his dream of exploring various places while young. In 2006, he began to conceive the idea of cycling around China. He set the plan for 2012.
In 2011, Wu Haobin started preparing for the ride. He exercised daily to get his physical condition in top shape. He also developed a detailed plan for cycling around China: starting from Shanghai and heading south along the coast, passing through Zhejiang and Fujian, going through Guangxi and Guizhou, then heading to Yunnan and Tibet, looping around the three northeastern provinces before returning to Shanghai — a total journey of about 25,000 kilometers.
Soon, his plan spread among his circle of friends. "Since you’re going around anyway, why not help us visit some poor children?" Wu Haobin was surrounded by many friends dedicated to public welfare and child assistance. Learning that Wu Haobin wanted to cycle to fulfill his dream, his friends suggested combining the trip with charity work — fulfilling his dream while visiting schools and children in remote areas.
However, Wu Haobin is not a "wealthy man," and "using all his personal savings for charity" wasn’t practical. For this reason, Wu Haobin approached the well-known Shanghai-based public welfare organization "Aigongxian" (Love Together Line) and agreed on a cooperative plan: while visiting schools, Wu Haobin would take photos and videos, document the situation, and post real-time updates on Weibo to feed back information to "Aigongxian." "Aigongxian" would be his "charity backbone" behind the scenes, implementing the aid. At that time, "Aigongxian" would manage the charitable donations, provide donors with information about the aided parties and specific projects, and regularly follow up and conduct research on the aided recipients.
On February 12, 2012, Wu Haobin set off on his solo journey.
Since February of this year, most parts of the country have experienced continuous rainy weather, and Wu Haobin’s cycling trip has faced challenges. But this ride isn’t for leisure — feeling the weight of responsibility, he has mostly been on the move non-stop. In this way, at an average speed of 100 kilometers per day, he spent a month traveling from Shanghai to within Guangxi.
On the afternoon of March 9, Wu Haobin entered Wuzhou, and after a brief stop, he headed straight on March 10 to his first destination of the ride: Gulan Primary School in Siwang Town, Pingnan County, Guangxi.
"I never expected that the children, upon hearing I was coming to visit, had waited for me at the village entrance early. Seeing them warmed my heart." The hardships Wu Haobin endured along the way were all melted away by the children’s smiles...
At Gulan Primary School, Wu Haobin ate and stayed with the teachers, played and chatted with the children. From March 9 to 11, over three days, he also visited nearby Shangdeng Primary School and Liugui Primary School. These schools had poor infrastructure, incomplete teaching equipment, and the children’s books were very worn. He documented these scenes with text, photos, and videos.
After a short rest in Nanning, Wu Haobin will set off again for Guizhou to visit more students in remote areas.