Mr. Zhou is deeply committed to environmental protection.
He set out from his hometown of Tongshan County, Jiangsu in April 2010, and arrived in Kunming on foot last month 16th. For the sake of his environmental dream, even though his family has cut off ties with him, he says, “Doing what you love is worth it!”
Recently, there was such a man who came from Jiangsu to Kunming: he had a bicycle but didn’t ride it—in fact, his bike was loaded with garbage he picked up along the way. The day before yesterday morning, reporters met this man on Biji Road in Xishan District. His name is Zhou Zhaosheng, from Jiangsu, and he is an environmental enthusiast. Zhou Zhaosheng told reporters that in order to realize his environmental ideals, he hiked through 9 provinces to reach Kunming. The bicycle was not for riding but for carrying the trash he collected.
Promoting environmental protection despite family opposition
When reporters met Zhou Zhaosheng, he was pushing a bicycle loaded with various bags and sacks. The bags contained not only empty drink bottles, cans, cardboard, and other waste, but also daily necessities such as bedding, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. At the rear of the bike stood a faded red cloth banner with large characters that read: “Protecting the Earth’s environmental hygiene is everyone’s responsibility. Thank you for your sincere cooperation, every citizen.”
To realize his dream, Zhou Zhaosheng quit his job back home. Despite opposition from relatives and friends, and having been cut off by his family, he still chose to embark on the journey to promote environmental protection.
Walking through 9 provinces to Kunming in 22 months
Zhou Zhaosheng told reporters that in April 2010, he set out from his hometown of Tongshan County, Jiangsu. From then on, he pushed his bicycle along the way, promoting environmental protection while picking up litter. Non-recyclable waste was thrown directly into nearby trash bins, while recyclables were collected in bags and later sold to support his journey. He arrived in Kunming on foot last month 16th. Zhou said this environmental journey took him through 9 provinces: Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Without realizing it, he had walked for a year and 10 months. Zhou said, “I walked along the way and picked up trash. Wherever it got dark, I stopped to rest.”
The bicycle is used to carry garbage
Why not ride the bike and push it instead? Zhou pointed to the fully loaded items on the bike and said, “I will never ride this bicycle. If someone sits on it, there will be no place to hang the garbage. Also, I want to walk on foot, hoping to influence the people around me and pass on the ideal of protecting the environment. It’s tiring, but it’s worth it.”
During the conversation with the reporters, a car drove by on Biji Road and threw a cigarette butt out the window onto the road. Zhou Zhaosheng bent down, picked up the cigarette butt, and threw it into a roadside trash can. Before the reporters left, Zhou said he would soon head to Dali, Lijiang, and other places to continue his environmental journey.