简体中文
By APD writer Gao Wencheng
Chen Guanming, a 60-year-old farmer from east China’s Jiangsu Province, rode a tricycle to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games and picked up trash around the venues.
Wearing long and white beard, Chen parked his tricycle outside the Maracana Stadium. Immediately he was surrounded by locals and tourists, who was appealed to the poster-curtain hung on this tricycle. It is actually made of pictures that show the nations and cities he has been to.
He is a huge fan of all things Olympics and has braved the odds over 15 years to attend three Olympic games. A remarkable feat, but for Chen, this is just the beginning of his adventures in the saddle.
The farmer started his tricycle journey in 2001, when Beijing won the bidding to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. He has since attended the 2008 Games in his native China (Beijing) , the 2012 games in London and the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Road to Tokyo
As his timeworn banner around his tricycle claims, The Chinese farmer has covered "more than 170,000 kilometers" in the past 15 years.
He has been to India, Cambodia, Laos, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and more. He cannot hide his excitement and pride while counting these places.
Afterwards, Chen decided a global trek, one Olympic venue was obviously not enough for him. He wanted to do it again, pedaling his rickshaw to Tokyo in Japan for the 2020 Olympics.
“I started from 2001. I will be traveling from South America to Oceania, then to Africa, and from Africa to enter Europe again, which is a crossroad, and then to Scandinavia. Ride, ride, and ride, then I’ll ride to Tokyo. I have to get to Japan by 2020,” Chen told CCTV news.
'Never stop'
Asked what has been the driving force behind his journey, “the Olympics” Chen answered simply with a laugh.
He believes, the Olympics “means peace to the world and harmony among human beings”.
His conviction about the power of the Olympics to unite the world is equally evident on the banner hanging over his rickshaw in mandarin and English.
“Promote the Olympic spirit, hope for world peace” read part of the banner.
Chen’s riding touched a lot of people. In every place he travelled, he received help from the local people who provided him with a warm dinner or a free ride across mountains. Some supporters even believe that Chen Guanming should write a book about his riding, and then translate it into many languages, making the world feel the infinite love and help.
With his sights set on Tokyo, does Chen think 2020 will be the year he finally returns to China?
"This is my job now, to tell the people of the world about the Olympics and about peace," he said.
"I will keep going. I'll never stop doing the job I love until I die."（APD）
