OpinionBiking across China in 5 months: lofty goals for worker promoting constitutionalism

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Zhang Hao plans to ride his bike across China to promote constitutionalism. Photo: Screenshot via Weibo

Published: 11:16am, 2 Jul 2013Updated: 7:40am, 3 Jul 2013

Jumping on his bike, a 27-year-old construction worker in eastern China plans on pedalling across the country to promote rule of law - which he believes the nation urgently needs.

Zhang Hao, originally from Shanxi province, said he recently realised he had been brainwashed by Communist Party propaganda after poking around online. Since then, he has decided to make things right and enlighten his compatriats with an issue that “matters to every Chinese”.

After telling his parents he was going on holiday, Zhang quit his construction job in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and took off on his bike on June 17.

He carried only a tent and a red banner that read: "China's constitutionalism calls for national participation."

More than a month into his journey, Zhang told the South China Morning Post that he was shocked by how little people knew about the meaning of “constitutionalism” or what the constitution is in general.

“Many people who appeared educated were clueless and asked me what it means,” he said. In most cases, locals did not seem to care about his message.

Zhang would usually stop in front of local landmarks, hold the banner and have his photo taken. Some pictures from his adventures have been posted on his microblog. But he was disappointed he was not raising as much awareness as he had hoped.