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University student makes friends on hitchhiking trip
By Xu Wenwen |
August 31, 2011, Wednesday
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INSPIRED by a documentary of hitchhikers, sophomore Zhao Jiangfan of Hangzhou Dianzi University thumbed vehicles from Hangzhou all the way to Tianjin in north China, without spending a penny on transportation.
Ten days, 10 cities, 1,600 kilometers and 12 free rides - Zhao, 21, started from his campus in Hangzhou.
"I am inspired by 'To Berlin by Thumb,'" Zhao says, referring to a documentary about two men who hitchhiked their way from Beijing to Berlin. The men caught 88 rides in 13 countries and regions, and depended entirely on strangers.
"There are some things that if you don't do it now, you will probably never do it. And if you really want to do it, the whole world will help you," Zhao says, quoting the preface of "To Berlin by Thumb."
"So I give it a try," he says.
Zhao began his hitchhiking adventure from his campus in Xiasha District, Hangzhou, to the urban area of Tianjin, passing through parts of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces.
He brought a 15-kilogram backpack containing clothes, food and water, a lavatory kit, an umbrella, a foldable stool and maps.
Zhao sent off on July 24, at the service area of an expressway. Wandering the area, he signaled to passing cars, or talked to drivers of parked cars.
He didn't tell drivers he needed a ride to Tianjin, but asked for a ride to Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu Province.
A truck driver was the first to say "no," so he went over to talk to another driver, who was a businessman from South Korea. Zhao explained his plan and the man agreed to take him to Suzhou.
"I thought it would take a long time to get the first ride, but in five minutes I was on my way to Suzhou," Zhao says. "It has given me more confidence and happiness.
"I later asked him why he agreed. His answer was 'I can give you a ride, then why not?' His Chinese wasn't great, but we had a very nice conversation," Zhao recalls.
After arriving in Suzhou, Zhao went to another service area for drivers, planning to get to Wuxi City in Jiangsu.
But things did not go so smoothly. He lingered there for about an hour, speaking to drivers of dozens of cars, yet only saw faces of distrust and confusion.
Eventually, a woman going to Wuxi agreed to give him a lift.
"The woman seemed to understand me because she said she was a hiker, so we chatted a lot about travel," he says.
Zhao stayed in a youth hostel in Wuxi. The next morning, he walked along urban roads, trying to get a free ride.
However, getting the next trip proved to be the most difficult of the trip as he waited for nearly seven hours.
After one-hour of frustration in the urban area, a stranger recommended Zhao try a gas station at the entrance of an expressway. For two hours, he spoke to every driver stopping for fuel, but none wanted to give him a ride.
To make matters worse, the gas station attendants mistook Zhao as a tramp and told him to leave.
Two hours later, a man driving a sedan said he would take him for a fuel charge of 100 yuan (US$16).
"I said 'no' right away," recalls Zhao. "Spending money to get a ride and thumbing to get a free ride are not the same and it's not what I was waiting for."
He wished the driver a "good trip" and then turned away.
Zhao was getting tired and frustrated, but he tried to stay positive, telling himself "the only reason that you are not getting a lift is because the one who will take you has not arrived yet."
As dark clouds were gathering, Zhao walked along the expressway while signaling to passing cars.
Two hour later a fancy car stopped. Exhausted, Zhao, now with little confidence, told his story to the driver surnamed Cheng, who immediately gave him a "yes."
"I almost cried," Zhao says.
Shortly after getting in the car, rain poured down.
"I was lucky that I met Cheng, who is a businessman with wisdom, he consoled me all the way, telling me those reluctant to give rides are just afraid but not bad people, while I need to be confident and brave."
After his journey with Cheng ended, Zhao decided to show his student ID card to drivers to help alleviate their fears. It worked fairly well.
Zhao says he came to the conclusion that there are two kinds of people willing to pick him up - warm-hearted truck drivers, and wealthy people who are adventurous and sympathetic.
His last trip from Dezhou in Shandong to Tianjin started in the morning at a gas station. As usual, Zhao was rejected by dozens of drivers. But after 60 minutes, a 31-year-old man let him in his car.
"The driver, who owned a clothing factory in Cangzhou, Shandong, was interesting," says Zhao. "Since he needed to change his car at his factory, he took me over there first. It was huge. He also told me to keep my 'adventurous spirit.'"
After arriving in Tianjin, Zhao called his friend, who took him to his home in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.
Looking back on the trip, Zhao says it is worth the hassle and frustration.
"I get to communicate with people of various backgrounds and get to learn a little about their life experiences," he says. "I get to be a free spirit and my honesty helps me gain the trust of others."
Ten days, 10 cities, 1,600 kilometers and 12 free rides - Zhao, 21, started from his campus in Hangzhou.
"I am inspired by 'To Berlin by Thumb,'" Zhao says, referring to a documentary about two men who hitchhiked their way from Beijing to Berlin. The men caught 88 rides in 13 countries and regions, and depended entirely on strangers.
"There are some things that if you don't do it now, you will probably never do it. And if you really want to do it, the whole world will help you," Zhao says, quoting the preface of "To Berlin by Thumb."
"So I give it a try," he says.
Zhao began his hitchhiking adventure from his campus in Xiasha District, Hangzhou, to the urban area of Tianjin, passing through parts of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces.
He brought a 15-kilogram backpack containing clothes, food and water, a lavatory kit, an umbrella, a foldable stool and maps.
Zhao sent off on July 24, at the service area of an expressway. Wandering the area, he signaled to passing cars, or talked to drivers of parked cars.
He didn't tell drivers he needed a ride to Tianjin, but asked for a ride to Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu Province.
A truck driver was the first to say "no," so he went over to talk to another driver, who was a businessman from South Korea. Zhao explained his plan and the man agreed to take him to Suzhou.
"I thought it would take a long time to get the first ride, but in five minutes I was on my way to Suzhou," Zhao says. "It has given me more confidence and happiness.
"I later asked him why he agreed. His answer was 'I can give you a ride, then why not?' His Chinese wasn't great, but we had a very nice conversation," Zhao recalls.
After arriving in Suzhou, Zhao went to another service area for drivers, planning to get to Wuxi City in Jiangsu.
But things did not go so smoothly. He lingered there for about an hour, speaking to drivers of dozens of cars, yet only saw faces of distrust and confusion.
Eventually, a woman going to Wuxi agreed to give him a lift.
"The woman seemed to understand me because she said she was a hiker, so we chatted a lot about travel," he says.
Zhao stayed in a youth hostel in Wuxi. The next morning, he walked along urban roads, trying to get a free ride.
However, getting the next trip proved to be the most difficult of the trip as he waited for nearly seven hours.
After one-hour of frustration in the urban area, a stranger recommended Zhao try a gas station at the entrance of an expressway. For two hours, he spoke to every driver stopping for fuel, but none wanted to give him a ride.
To make matters worse, the gas station attendants mistook Zhao as a tramp and told him to leave.
Two hours later, a man driving a sedan said he would take him for a fuel charge of 100 yuan (US$16).
"I said 'no' right away," recalls Zhao. "Spending money to get a ride and thumbing to get a free ride are not the same and it's not what I was waiting for."
He wished the driver a "good trip" and then turned away.
Zhao was getting tired and frustrated, but he tried to stay positive, telling himself "the only reason that you are not getting a lift is because the one who will take you has not arrived yet."
As dark clouds were gathering, Zhao walked along the expressway while signaling to passing cars.
Two hour later a fancy car stopped. Exhausted, Zhao, now with little confidence, told his story to the driver surnamed Cheng, who immediately gave him a "yes."
"I almost cried," Zhao says.
Shortly after getting in the car, rain poured down.
"I was lucky that I met Cheng, who is a businessman with wisdom, he consoled me all the way, telling me those reluctant to give rides are just afraid but not bad people, while I need to be confident and brave."
After his journey with Cheng ended, Zhao decided to show his student ID card to drivers to help alleviate their fears. It worked fairly well.
Zhao says he came to the conclusion that there are two kinds of people willing to pick him up - warm-hearted truck drivers, and wealthy people who are adventurous and sympathetic.
His last trip from Dezhou in Shandong to Tianjin started in the morning at a gas station. As usual, Zhao was rejected by dozens of drivers. But after 60 minutes, a 31-year-old man let him in his car.
"The driver, who owned a clothing factory in Cangzhou, Shandong, was interesting," says Zhao. "Since he needed to change his car at his factory, he took me over there first. It was huge. He also told me to keep my 'adventurous spirit.'"
After arriving in Tianjin, Zhao called his friend, who took him to his home in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.
Looking back on the trip, Zhao says it is worth the hassle and frustration.
"I get to communicate with people of various backgrounds and get to learn a little about their life experiences," he says. "I get to be a free spirit and my honesty helps me gain the trust of others."
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