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From June 27 to July 10, from Yancheng to Fuzhou
Current thinking: For the past two weeks, conditions haven’t been optimal for continuing our trip while enjoying it. Therefore, we’re going to stop for a week and decide whether to continue or return to France.
Beautiful ferry crossing
June 27th and 28th, we drove along a busy main road towards Nantong, a city of 8 million inhabitants located on the banks of the Yangtze River. We drove through rice paddies; the scenery was pleasant, but the locals seemed quite reserved. A Chinese man with whom we had eaten caught up with us in his car to offer us drinks.
Today, June 29th, we’re taking a ferry across the Yangtze River, which is over 7 km wide. There is a bridge over 15 km long, but it’s reserved for motorized vehicles. There’s practically no one on the boat, so boarding is quick. Unfortunately, the weather isn’t cooperating; it’s very gray. There’s a lot of traffic on the river, as it’s the waterway that leads to Shanghai. Dozens of boats are at anchor.
After the crossing, we will cycle all day on a safe cycle path.
When everything goes wrong, you need the police.
It’s June 30th, and the weather forecast is terrible for the next six days. Since waiting that long is impossible because we need to extend our visas before July 12th, we decide to take the bus to Wenzhou. In China, the hardest thing is making yourself understood. That day, the ticket agent sold us tickets to Wenzhou with a connection in Jiaxing. But unfortunately, when we arrived in Jiaxing, the connection didn’t exist.
And as is the case everywhere in China, when foreigners encounter a problem, it’s the police who intervene. They explained to us that there was no bus to Wenzhou and that we would have to stay in the city for the night, and that they would come back to help us the next morning.
Sure enough, the very next day, the police came back with a solution. We would have to take a bus that stopped at a highway rest area about 25km away. Since it’s impossible to cycle on the highway, the police loaded our bikes into one vehicle, and we would travel in another. It was a VIP ride in a police car with flashing lights. Finally, we reached Wenzhou at the end of the day.
A mountain road and tunnels
After a day of rest, on Friday, July 3rd, we resumed our journey towards the port of Huangqi where we were to take a boat to the Matsu Islands, which belong to Taiwan and where one can extend their visa.
For the next three days, we alternated between coastal roads and mountainous areas covered in tea plantations. The setting was pleasant and the scenery magnificent. We encountered Chinese people wearing the traditional pointed hat called a “douli.” The difficulty of this route lay in its terrain; the slopes were quite challenging. However, for the truly difficult sections, the Chinese had dug tunnels. We passed through six of them in a single day, two of which were over 3 kilometers long. They weren’t all equipped with cycle paths, but the lighting was so effective that we could see as if we were outside.
Huangqi Port
After passing through some rather poor and remote areas outside the cities, and experiencing some difficulty finding accommodation—where the police always came to our aid—we reached the port of Huangqi on July 6th. It’s a coastal port city where you can see hundreds of large fishing boats; ah! It’s Chinese, they love fish. And it’s from here that the ferry departs every day for Matsu Island.
A short trip into Taiwanese territory
On July 7th, we took a ferry to Mastu Island. We made the round trip in one day without being able to visit anything. On the return journey, upon passing through Chinese customs, we received a new stamp validating our visa for another month. This technique is well-known here, and many people go to the island solely to extend their visas.
On July 8th, we took a taxi to Fuzhou because the temperature was still very high and cycling was very difficult. We settled in Fuzhou, and as the weather conditions had become challenging, we considered the next steps in our trip.
Meeting: Wenjie, a Chinese man living in Barcelona. He returned to China with his ailing mother, who wanted to go back home for treatment. We were able to chat in Spanish about life in China. It felt good after several weeks of communicating mainly with a translator. A wonderful encounter, just the kind we like.
Did you know: China is experiencing a demographic decline. In 2016, the country had 90 million births per year, but by 2025, that number had fallen to 40 million. Meanwhile, the number of new pets, primarily dogs, has increased dramatically, rising from 40 million to 58 million per year. As a result, schools are closing and veterinary clinics are opening at an alarming rate.
Route: We cycled 519km from June 27th to July 6th, perhaps our last ride of the year. Find the map of our route by clicking HERE
