Jiangsu farmer aims to tour China by tricycle in 7 years

Many people wish to tour China but most of them will never imagine doing this by tricycle. Chen Guanming, a peasant from Jiangsu Province who declares himself "the first Chinese to tour the country by tricycle in seven years", arrived in Wuhan on November 11.

Jiangsu farmer aims to tour China by tricycle in  7 years

Riding an old tricycle with his white beard flying in the wind, Chen made a big first impression on the reporters. His ID card shows that he is 53 years old and was born in 1956. From looking at his photo album, reporters discovered that Chen has taken photos everywhere from Dongfeng Space City to tropical coconut trees in south China.

In 2001, honest peasant Chen decided to change his life: he decided to spend seven years touring China by tricycle to welcome the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. With the accusation that he is an unfilial son, he hit the road. When he was tired, he slept on his tricycle, his only possession; when he was hungry, he went applied to local governments for "special authorization for a free rider" to get money for food. The tricycle caused him a lot of trouble, for example he was not permitted to enter Ningbo city center on his tricycle despite his relentless coaxing and pestering. Finally, he had to wait until the traffic police finished work and then slipped in. In Macao, he was only able to pass the customs entrance when the inspectors had given him a green light.

It is extremely dangerous to ride a tricycle alone even if the rider is very strong. In 2003, there were landslides in Xiling Gorge, and Chen was within an inch of being hit. He had to weave around them while racing down the mountainside as the brakes on his tricycle were broken. The tricycle rolled over and Chen was knocked out. After he regained consciousness, he grabbed his tricycle and tied it to a tree, and then passed the night sleeping on the ground. When he opened his eyes the next day, he found himself lying on the edge of a cliff. "I burst into tears when I was rescued." Chen told reporters with tears in his eyes that he is still frightened when he thinks of it now.

Chen realized his dream of riding around the whole country before the 2008 Olympic Games. His only regret is that he was not able to visit Taiwan. Chen said that he never fell ill during his travels, and that this time when he leaves Beijing for Wuhan, he plans to go to his hometown in Jiangsu to apply for a passport. He told reporters his plan, "First I will go to Taiwan, and then I will go to London to watch the 2012 Olympics and apply for the Guinness World Records."

Translated by LOTO