Love and courage in China: near-blind dad cycles 2,500km to cheer for son, grandfather smashes car window with bare hand to save grandson and it takes a village to have a wedding

A father who is nearly blind rode his bike 2,500km to cheer on his son who was taking an important test

A grandfather saved his grandson stuck in the back of a car by punching through the rear seat window

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A father (left) rode his bicycle 2,500km to visit his son, and a man breaks into a car to save his grandson. Photo: SCMP composite

Published: 9:00am, 26 May 2022

A 52-year-old man who is nearly blind rode his bicycle 2,520km to cheer on his son who was about to take the zhongkao, a secondary school entrance exam.

Ren Zhongquan, who says he struggles to see anything beyond three metres, rode from Xiamen, a city in southeastern China’s Fujian province, to his hometown Luzhou, in Sichuan province in the southwest.

Ren was fulfilling a promise to his son that he made when he left for work in Xiamen over a year ago. He said he would be there to support his son during the zhongkao, which is a test taken by students in mainland China after they complete their compulsory education at around the age of 14.

Ren said he told his son: “You study well and pay attention to the teacher in class. Dad will return from Xiamen to support you.”

Ren Zhongquan poses with his son after arriving back home. Photo: Static

However, Ren’s son disagreed with his father’s idea to cycle back home, worrying that he would become exhausted and not be able to finish the journey.