From Hainan to Mohe: CTGU faculty’s 12-year cycling journey

By Chen Zai.

Wan Xiangqi, a China Three Gorges University teacher who has traversed the length of China from south to north over 12 years, was recently named literary ambassador on the university’s reading festival. 

At the festival launch ceremony, Wan said: "Every word in a book encapsulates the footsteps of those before us. Every scene along the road is a living annotation of the big book of the world."

In 2010, as a freshman, Wan read "Travel Notes of Hainan Island" in the university library and was inspired by the solo journey around Hainan Island described in the book. His admiration for Su Shi (1037 - 1101), a renowned Northern Song Dynasty writer who contributed to education in Hainan, and his respect for Li Yuezhong, a contemporary Chinese figure known for global cycling, motivated him to embark on his own journey.

In 2012, Wan cycled across 18 counties and cities in Hainan during a vacation. After his story was covered by local media, he was approached to assist the National Geological Experiment and Testing Center of China Geological Survey in collecting sand samples from Hainan for zirconium and titanium content analysis.

Zirconium and titanium are valuable metals for heavy industries and rare in China. This invitation gave Wan a new sense of purpose in his cycling adventure. He later cycled Hainan again, collecting and sending over 50 samples to the center.

The sand samples on the back seat of the bicycle are later mailed to the National Geological Experiment and Testing Center of China Geological Survey for zirconium and titanium content analysis.

To promote Chinese language and culture, Wan also cycled to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and other cities in Vietnam, earning him the title of "Cultural Ambassador" from Hainan Daily and other Chinese media outlets.

In the summer of 2017, after graduating from his master's program and joining the faculty, Wan cycled from Hubei through Henan, Anhui, and Shandong to Beijing. In the summer of 2024, he embarked on another journey from Beijing, cycling 2,300 kilometers in 23 days to reach Mohe Arctic Village in the northernmost part of China.

Sleeping in the outdoors in Tai'an, Shandong during cycling.
 

This achievement marked the fulfillment of his 12-year-old dream to traverse China from south to north.

During his tenure at the university, Wan has organized students to undertake summer public service activities for six consecutive years. These activities give assistance to children in remote mountainous areas and Xinjiang whose parents are away from home working in the cities. To date, the university has established over 340 summer service teams, involving more than 8,000 students, to contribute to rural revitalization and the development of West China.

Journalist Zhang Tingting contributed to this story. Photos provided by Wan Xiangqi and Wang Jun.