Chinese farmer spent 14 years travelling the world by tricycle

By Wu Yan (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-01-15 11:33

Chen voluntarily cleans rubbish around the Bird's Nest, or the National Stadium, and the Water Cube, or the National Aquatics Center, during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. [Photo/IC]

Opportunity always falls on someone who has prepared. Just in China Town, Chen received an oral invitation for watching the opening ceremony of Rio 2016 Summer Olympics and his Olympic trip continued.

Chen called himself "a Chinese man that cycled casually on earth", while his supporters regard him as a hero. A restaurant owner, surnamed Wei, offered Chen a space for parking his tricycle overnight when the latter passed by Rockville, Maryland, in the US. "As a farmer, he did a marvelous adventure. Heroes come from everywhere. He inspired us," said Wei.

Media even named Chen the "Olympic madman" and the "Chinese version Forrest Gump".

Chen on a street in China Town in London, July 23, 2012. [Photo/CFP]

Another unbelievable characteristic about this global traveler is that he barely speaks anything other than Chinese. Even English, the most widely used language in the world; he can only say "Thank you so much", "sorry" and a few numbers. But he does not worry about it.

One of his supporters from Beijing makes a travelers' handbook in both Chinese and English for him. He showed the book to border service officers or police officers if it is necessary. "They will know why I come here and where I come from and go to," Chen said.

More than a decade has past, Chen has worn out 18 pairs of shoes and his tricycle has replaced 8 wheels and more than 30 tires. But toil, hardships and difficulties never stop him.