A man in his 80s from Yancheng, Jiangsu, rode over 200 kilometers on a bicycle, passing through five cities within the province. During the 14-hour journey, he promoted voluntary blood donation. Upon arriving at his hometown of Yancheng, despite fatigue, he rolled up his sleeve and donated blood.
Around 11 a.m. on the 3rd, Liu Bilin, wearing a blood donation volunteer cap and uniform, rode his bicycle into the Yancheng Central Blood Station. After stating his purpose, the staff took him to the blood collection hall where he donated component blood.
According to Liu Bilin, he is 31 years old. In 2004, he participated in his first voluntary blood donation organized by his workplace. Later, he learned that the blood he donated had been given to a patient, making him realize that his small act could save a life. Since then, he has continuously participated in voluntary blood donation and actively promoted it. However, after leaving his hometown for work in southern Jiangsu in 1999, he hadn’t returned home in 14 years nor donated blood there, which he found regrettable.
To fulfill his wish of donating blood in his hometown, Liu Bilin set off on his bicycle at 5:20 a.m. on September 2 from Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu. He passed through Rugao, Hai’an, Dongtai, and Dafeng, arriving in Yancheng City at 7:10 p.m. The total distance was 212 kilometers, taking nearly 14 hours. At each stop, he would take a half-hour break to hydrate and rest while promoting voluntary blood donation to those around him.
“This route is far more than 200 kilometers. I chose the shortest path—after riding from Zhangjiagang, I took a car ferry to Rugao, then continued cycling,” Liu Bilin said. Along the way, he promoted blood donation, and many people praised his actions.
It is understood that so far, Liu Bilin has donated blood 24 times, with a total volume of nearly 20,000 milliliters. He has also joined the voluntary blood donation volunteer service team. Liu Bilin said that cycling is his hobby, and using this unique way to give back to his hometown was something he had long planned. He is now planning to cycle to Tibet during next year’s May Day holiday, challenging himself while continuing to promote voluntary blood donation.