Cyclist spreads Olympic message
A 62-year-old retired mainlander is going it alone on an eight-month campaign to cycle around the country promoting the Beijing Olympics.
Arriving in Hong Kong on the 27th stop since he started the campaign on March 24, Cai Qingqi said China's hosting of the Games in 2008 was something all Chinese should be proud of.
He hoped to spread a message of pride and unity as he travelled through the country.
Cycling was a cheap, environmentally friendly and healthy way of conveying a message, Mr Cai said.
The retired fisherman and father of four undertook a similar but shorter journey last year when he passed through Hong Kong as part of a six-week trip through Guangzhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Guangxi and back to Fujian.
This year, Mr Cai started from his home town of Shishi in Fujian and his trip will take him to Macau, Hainan, Chongqing, Lhasa, Urumqi, Xian, Beijing and Shanghai, before returning to Fuzhou.
The cyclist said he covered 150 to 160km a day and began each day at 4am when the air was fresh and traffic light.
He has 10,000 yuan, which he knows will not cover his trip, but his sons have promised to support him should finances run low.
Mr Cai said he only paid for lodgings if they cost less than 20 yuan a day. To keep within budget, he said he had slept at the roadside or outside restrooms in some places. 'I am not afraid of hardship, I enjoy it. It is a spiritual enjoyment.'
He leaves for Macau today before stopping in Hainan.
