The late birds get the world

"That really inspired me," he says. As with many Chinese, bicycles were very much a part of their everyday lives, something on which he commuted to work.

Li realized he was relatively unfit, so he spent two years preparing for the trip, running 10 km a day, cycling 80 km every Sunday and also took time to learn self-defense techniques, among other things.

Finally, wearing a straw hat, and taking with him a raincoat, an umbrella, a very rudimentary camera, films and a few bicycle repair tools, the 25-year-old set on his trip, buttressed by financial support of 400 yuan ($57) from his parents, about what 10 months' salary in his job as a middle school physics teacher was at the time.

Of course, ways of arming yourself with the required information were far more limited in those days, and as part of his preparations he had borrowed a gazetteer that described scenic areas throughout China and bought a map book.

"It was a fantastic experience, and I learned a huge amount. I passed through many scenic areas, and what I saw was stunning."