The first cycling trip from Jinan to Nanjing (1983)

Hironori Koike

  Around 1976 Japanese civilians had a lot of restrictions when traveling in China.  But some young men from Amagasaki negotiated with China authorities for six years to change this step by step.  In 1980 they were allowed to cycle from Nanjing to Yang Zhou and from Wuxi to Suzhou.  In 1982 they covered 500kms from Jinan to Nanjing.  This was only in one province.  That year they were allowed to travel over several provinces.  They started from Jinan near the Huang River to Nanjing near Chang Jiang River.  They covered 1,000kms.  On August 13^th 1983, the weather was clear.  The Japanese members of the third Amagasaki Friendly Visiting China Association and two Chinese cyclists set out.  Three leading cars regulated traffic by way of a loud speaker.  Behind these cars were 25 Japanese cyclists and 2 Chinese cyclist and an interpreter.  A jeep carrying tea and fruits for the riders rode behind them.  Behind the jeep was a bus, for any cyclists who became too tired to continue traveling by bike.  There were a lot of people lining the streets to watch.  Under the order of the Chinese government, all the traffic signals were green for the cyclists.  This demonstrates how well the cyclists were received in China.
   In Jinan they visited a kindergarten inside a factory where 70,000 people worked.  They had visited it the previous year and introduced a traditional Japanese game.  So, when they returned, the students showed the cyclists that they had remembered this game.  When they were leaving, the route was lined with more than 1,000 people with gongs, drums and fire crackers.  The roads were almost all paved.  But there were few cars.  This allowed them to cycle very comfortably.  On both sides of the roads beautiful poplars, willows and platanus could be seen, stretching over the horizon.  This is China!  For four days the cyclists were thankful to have good weather and continued cycling even in the glaring sunlight.  On the following day after 10:00 A.M. the temperature got higher and higher.  Perhaps it was beyond 40℃.  The tar was melting and sticking to the tries of the bikes.
   On August 16^th, they were caught in a squall on the way from Tengxian to Xuzhou.  At first they welcomed some clouds that were passing over head.  But soon the clouds gave way to a terrible rain shower.  Eight brave members decided to ride in the bad weather.  The rest of the cyclists got into the bus.  The rain, wind, thunder and lightening intensified.  Because of the weather it was difficult to see and the rain began to hurt their skin.  In addition the road was not paved and some parts were under construction.  There were many pools of water on the road.
   On the last day (August 19^th) the cyclists rode 120kms and they reached Nanjing Chang Jiang Bridge (670 meters long).  In two parallel lines all members cycled over the bridge.  After crossing the bridge in celebration, a cyclist took the hand of a Chinese interpreter and swung his hand with the interpreter and yelled, “Banzai.”  Some members with World War �U experience vowed to cycle as a way of communicating a metaphorical apology.
   At the final destination, cyclists felt the warmth of the one another’s hands and the warmth of peace.  From now on they’d like to share this happiness of peace with the people of China.  The joy that they experienced when riding through China seemed to be unique only to them.  They hope that more Chinese could experience the joy and happiness that they felt when cycling through China.