China

My road : Shanghai, Qingpu, Zhujiajiao, Tongli, Wujiang, Nanxun, Jongxiang, Hangzhou, Tonglu, Chun'an, Shexian, Huangshan, Yixian, Qimen, Jingdezhen, Juijiang, Ruichang, Yangxin, Ezhou, Wuhan, from 04 to 2006-02-24.

So I leave Shanghai after a superb stay, and a bicycle do up like new. My direction is to go to the west in order to go down the 3 gorges and then possible until Chengdu, and then make way to the south and Yunnan. This is the area that I am waiting to China.
Leaving my friends Kessaria is not easy, but I’m happy to take back the road, some new waits for me. In 2 days I will join Tongli, a place that we recommended to me. Upon arrival, a wonderful meeting will take place. Seated to take my lunch, a man just sit at the adjacent table, and he speak a few words of french. I showed him my press article in Shanghai, leading to a passion for me. He told me then "gift" and makes me wait, returning with 2 impressions calligraphy of his hand. Desirous to have my article, I can only offer him a copy. A new friend was born, a man of great heart. He takes care of me finding housing, telling everyone that we meet where I come from. In the evening, he found me, introducing me to people of a local newspaper. We invite me to dinner or rather a feast while I tell them my story. The next morning, it’s my friend Zou Jun Yuan who wakes me, coming to look for me to go to eat. He takes great care of me, pouring me a part of his rations in mine, and then make the big tour of Tongli, perhaps as few people can do it. He makes me visit his workshop, handing me again calligraphies. Calling me my birth year, he makes me choose an animal, the dragon to burn my name, also brought in Chinese. Then it was time for him to get down to work, he gives me an appointment in evening. What a surprise I has seing him to come back with the little dragon and an inkwell. We are going to dinner together for a new pleasure, Zou Jun Yuan refusing me to pay anything, someone of great generosity. On the second day I leave this hamlet, Zou Jun Yuan is always there, appearing with a hand-written in announcing what I do, and he wants to lay down on my bicycle. A idea come to him, to write it directly on my the garment for wind which I wear, this is very funny and I give him without hesitation. He returned to his workshop while I will swallow my noodles. The moment is not long before he comes back being write well my dress. This is a new memory, and what memory! Before I go, Zou Jun Yuan oversees the newspaper to find my article, but he is not released, he makes me understand that he’ll send me.

My road continues to get closer Taihu lake and proceed to Wuzhen to stay one day in this town at the edge of canals and browse his quarters in the wooden houses, discovering small crafts and life here. Then I come to Hangzhou, a city in the visible pleasure but which I am going to refuse by a police presence there which refuses me any access with my cycle, going to tell them how is their stupidity. The rest of my route will happen in the cold and facing to the wind, driving again on an important and hilly. I continue to go down before turning off towards Chun'an, through a nature that is being destroyed to build once more a highway, when we stop the madness and that man realize what that surrounds him. I arrive on a vast reservoir, the Xi'nanjiang that I hope to be able to cross, but the uncertainty is present. Upon my arrival I try to take the information to, entrance into a store. People put themselves on the phone, and then make me wait, the doubt appear now. A man came, and he reassures me that there is a boat tomorrow morning, the man showing me where to buy my ticket and where to pick it up. There is just to patient. I wake up early for boarding, alone among many Chinese, almost on a ferry make shift, without lifejackets apparent. Yet it is a crossing for more than 5 hours, with stops to pick up or drop off people. This stretch of water is huge, dotted with numerous islets. I go down to the last stop, taking my bike and join Shexian.

I then arrived in the region of the famous Huangshan, the mountain Huang considered in China. But seeing the season and the weather that I have, I tell myself that it is vain to go. So I chose to go to Yixian, another place that I was advised. The day had been beautiful and comfortable ride that would have short and shirt, but was not going to last at the time of finding to accommodate. Yet a young Chinese going to do many effort, but every time I was denied. He eventually make me understand that I had to submit to the police station to settle the case. By showing them my passport and my visa, a dissatisfaction was felt. They wanted something else that I did not have a residence permit. I had no choice, I had to stay there for the night. So I did prepare a license that gave me on the spot. Now it was clear that I could go stay in Yixian, disclaims me that the young Chinese by my license. I was unhappy and was returning to the post, falling on a policeman who merely asked me to go to sleep at 11 km farther. New fury than having to take my bike after 2 hours of deliberation, and at night. I arrive on Hong Cun, a village where tourism takes place, and where the rain will it retained me 2 days. The continuation is crossing a hilly region again, where it is difficult to find to stay. It's going to bring me to Jingdezhen. It will be the same by going to Juijiang, but this time with small villages, and by road unworthy, while in parallel side, it was certainly not looked at cost for the highway. The life of the cars seem essential to those people and villages. From Juijiang, Wuhan is farther, I tell myself 3 or 4 stages, but the first covering beyond what I hoped, 3 are enough. In Wuhan, I am greeted by a young Chinese girl, Handong, a friend of Caoyinglan met in the north west. That applies to me to find myself on the evening of my arrival to take my lunch in the refectory of the university where they are studying the both. The season is always cold, but my road has to continue to go back Yang Tse Kiang through 3 gorges.