Chinese boy cycles 130km for 24 hours in bid to reach grandmother’s home to complain after fight with mother, found exhausted on expressway by police
- Mainland social media is stunned by a boy who cycled for nearly 24 hours trying to reach his grandma after a fight with his mother
- The boy told the amazed police who found him that he had cycled through the night while eating bread and water he had brought from home
An 11-year-old Chinese boy cycled for nearly 24 hours in a bid to reach his grandmother’s home to complain about his mother after a fight, leaving mainland social media amused.
The boy was found exhausted and alone in an expressway tunnel by passers-by in the early evening of April 2, local media outlet Meilizhejiang reported.
The police officers who came to collect the boy were surprised to discover he had been cycling for 22 hours covering nearly 130 kilometres after departing his home in Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province.
The boy was trying to reach his grandmother’s home in Meijiang, a county in Zhejiang about 140 kilometres away, so he could air his grievances after he fought with his mother.
During the journey, the boy navigated by following road signs and admitted he had taken a wrong turn several times.
Although it took him twice as long as it should have to get as far as he did, he was only about one hour away from reaching his destination.
He told the police that he also cycled through the night while eating bread and water he had brought from home.
After taking the boy back to a nearby police station, the officers had to carry him from the car into the station, as he was too exhausted to walk.
Both the boy’s parents and grandmother came to pick him up later that evening.
The boy’s mother said he had threatened to travel to his grandmother’s home but she thought it was “just a tantrum”.
Many who saw the story online were amused by the fearless boy’s solo long-distance adventure, with some expressing curiosity about how his “revenge” had ended.
“I want to know how his grandmother gave a lesson to his mum in the end,” one person commented.
“He must have felt really bad after the fight with his mum,” another person said.
“This kid is a genius, knowing how to find his way by following road signs and daring to travel at night,” a third person added.
“I ran away from home when I was young, but I never got further than a metre,” said another person.
Children running away from home, often after fights with parents, regularly appear in the headlines in China.
Last month, a 12-year-old boy from Zhejiang province was found, carrying four toy swords and two bags, at the entrance to a highway by police.
The boy had left his home at 3am and said he was off to learn tai chi martial arts from Zhang Sanfeng, a character from the famous Chinese “Jin Yong” Louis Cha wuxia novels.
