From Shanghai to the Zhangmu Port in Tibet, a total distance of 5,779 kilometers, two Chinese art academy graduates spent 69 days cycling the entire route and also raised 171 saplings. And the bikes they rode were actually made of bamboo.
Recently, the exhibition "Bamboo Traces – Thematic Works by Hu Jianming and Wang Liang" was held at the 'Who House' space in Hangzhou's Fuxing Compound. The exhibition displayed a series of artworks created by Hu Jianming and Wang Liang based on their experiences during the Shanghai-Tibet journey. Yesterday, the two "travelers" gave an exclusive interview to our reporter in the exhibition hall, sharing stories of their cycling adventure.
It is reported that the exhibition will run until the 20th of this month.
The bamboo bicycles were custom-made in Switzerland
They repaired their bikes while on the road
Last August, Hu Jianming and Wang Liang graduated from the sculpture department of the art academy. Hu Jianming accidentally came across bamboo bicycles online and suddenly had the idea of embarking on a long-distance bike trip.
"At that time, I thought riding a bamboo bicycle would be fun, and it could also promote the concept of environmental protection, which is very meaningful. Robert, the Swiss man who makes bamboo bicycles, immediately agreed to custom-make bikes for us in Switzerland after hearing that we planned to cycle across the Shanghai-Tibet route," Hu Jianming recalled with a smile. By the end of the journey, his skin was deeply tanned, and he had lost a lot of weight.
After getting the bamboo bicycles, Hu Jianming and Wang Liang approached the Shanghai-based environmental organization "Roots & Shoots." The organization has launched the "Million Tree Project" in recent years, aiming to plant one million trees in Inner Mongolia by 2014.
Hu Jianming and Wang Liang decided to promote the "Million Tree Project" during their journey. Upon hearing their plan, Robert and a mainland bamboo products company agreed to donate one tree to the project for every 100 kilometers they cycled.
But when everything was ready, they faced opposition from their parents and classmates.
"At that time, my family was strongly against it. When I was about to leave, my classmates even joked, 'This might be the last time we have a meal together.'" Hu Jianming and Wang Liang ignored the opinions of others, packed their bags, and set off.
From August 18 to October 31, Hu Jianming and Wang Liang cycled more than 100 kilometers each day for over ten hours, whereas their longest previous ride had been just over ten kilometers.
"Along the way, we had to patch our bike tires more than ten times. And the bamboo bicycles often had minor issues with the bearings, so we had to repair them as we rode," Hu Jianming and Wang Liang met many fellow cyclists along the way. At their peak, over ten of them rode together on the highway from Chengdu to Lhasa. On the opening day of the exhibition, several friends they met on the road flew in to attend, which deeply moved the two.
They also visited Namtso Lake, Yamdrok Lake, Everest Base Camp, and the Potala Palace. Along the way, they met many kind people and experienced many new things. "We stayed in many guesthouses. Some guesthouses charged cyclists only 20 yuan per night, while regular guests paid 100 yuan. In some restaurants, there were often two different menus for cyclists and regular customers, with different prices."
The journey from Shanghai to Chengdu went quite smoothly, but from Chengdu to the final destination—Zhangmu Port near Nepal—the road became tough. "That area is a nature reserve with no roads, and by October, the temperature was close to minus ten degrees, with ice and snow everywhere. We could only move forward with difficulty along the tracks left by vehicles," Hu Jianming said.
Danger and adventure along the way
Encountered knife-wielding robbers and nearly died in a car accident
During their cycling journey, Hu Jianming and Wang Liang encountered several dangerous situations. The most perilous moment for Hu Jianming was when he almost got run over by a bus: "A motorcycle first knocked me down, and then the bus that followed hit me in the back, knocking me to the ground and rolling me over. Fortunately, I wasn’t seriously hurt."
What terrified Wang Liang was an encounter with extortionists on the road. "At that time, someone held a knife and threatened us to hand over our money. We called for help from passing truck drivers and narrowly escaped. Another time, we almost got buried by a landslide on the mountain..."
Although they faced constant danger, they said the joy of the journey far outweighed the risks. "We met many friends along the way, who all signed their names on our bikes, and many generously contributed to support the tree-planting project."
After 69 days of arduous travel, Hu Jianming and Wang Liang finally reached their destination. After returning, they planned to turn their journey into an art exhibition.
Hu Jianming painted four oil paintings, all featuring yaks, the most common animals they saw along the way. "Yaks left the deepest impression on me. At an altitude of over 5,000 meters, in the icy and snowy Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, their posture was incredibly resilient." He also created an installation piece called "172 Trees," made by assembling many bamboo branches, which hung upside down from the ceiling of the exhibition hall. Each joint of the branches was wrapped in gauze. "Along our cycling journey, we saw many felled tree stumps, which was heartbreaking. We hope this work can remind people to protect the natural environment of the west."
Wang Liang, who is slightly more introverted, created an abstract installation piece called "Echo." He used black, elastic cotton fabric to form tangled, twisted trees. "This work reflects my mood after the trip, a release of emotions."
Hu Jianming and Wang Liang also turned over a hundred photos they took along the way and their daily diaries into a PowerPoint presentation, which was shown in the exhibition hall. During this cycling trip, they raised 8,000 yuan for the "Million Trees" project and collected 171 trees to be donated to western China.
Both Hu Jianming and Wang Liang said this journey made them realize that as long as you persist in doing something, you will unknowingly achieve results, and it will be much easier than imagined.
"At the very least, I can brag about it for the rest of my life. I can proudly tell people that I once cycled across the Shanghai-Tibet route," Hu Jianming joked.