Li Zongliang (left) passed through Wenzhou and dropped by to visit his friend there.
On the noon of January 8, the post-80s young man Li Zongliang appeared in Wenzhou riding a bicycle loaded with gear. He told reporters that he plans to spend 3.5 years cycling around the world to promote environmental protection and a low-carbon lifestyle.
Born in 1981, Li Zongliang is originally from Cangnan, Wenzhou, and currently lives in Yuhuan. After graduating from university, he worked and even started a company, but when the business failed, he decided to let it all go and pursue something more meaningful—traveling and promoting environmental protection. On the 7th, Li Zongliang cycled through Wenzhou and stopped by to visit his friend Huang Mingke. Huang Mingke once traveled alone in Africa and fully supports Li’s plan. It is understood that Li’s family also backs his decision.
On November 13 last year, Li Zongliang began his bike journey from Beijing. His route around the world is as follows: starting from Beijing and heading south to Guangxi, then entering Vietnam, cycling through Southeast Asia, passing through Pakistan, crossing Central Asia to Greece, and then going on to Africa. From the southern tip of Africa, he will take a boat to South America, planning to disembark in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then cycle from South America to North America, with Vancouver, Canada, as the final destination. He will then fly back to Shanghai from Vancouver. Along the way, Li will experience local life while also showcasing his environmental slogan “Caring for nature, only one earth!” (“Protect nature, the Earth is the only one!”)
Over the 3.5-year journey, Li estimates he will spend about 50,000 RMB per year. To save money, he will stay as a couchsurfer. As the name suggests, a couchsurfer sleeps for free on someone else’s couch, though it doesn’t always have to be a couch—it can also mean staying in an extra room or bed offered by the host. In Li’s view, being a couchsurfer brings more unpredictability and wonder to travel. It is not only an environmentally friendly lifestyle, but also a better way to experience how ordinary people live in different parts of the world.
Li Zongliang is posting on Weibo along the way asking for couches to sleep on. In his experiences as a couchsurfer in China, Li found that foreigners in China tend to be more enthusiastic and open than locals. “Especially as the holidays approach—you know, many Chinese people are quite wary,” while many talkative foreigners are happy to open their homes to him. To improve his chances of securing a couch, Li also specifically learned cooking and foot massage skills to trade for free accommodation. Li said that foreigners in China love Chinese food and foot massages.
Li Zongliang said that he will definitely encounter many situations and variables along the way, but he will rationally overcome them—for example, in areas with poor security, he may choose to travel by vehicle.