Chinese man completes solo cruise along China’s coastline
By Tan Yingzi in Chongqing | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-07-12 14:59
Tuo Junqing during the kayak trip along China’s coastline. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
On July 7, Tuo Junqing arrived safe and sound in Fangchenggang, Guangxi province. He came ashore in a self-made kayak, 299 days after his departure from Donggang, Liaoning province on Sept 11, 2017 – completing a trip along China’s coastline.
He is the first person in China, if not the world, to complete such an epic journey all by himself.
During the trip, he spent about a month with his family in Shanghai during Spring Festival and took half a month to recover from jellyfish bites.
“Actually I spent 173 days on the sea, and the whole journey was 6574.57 kilometers,” he said.
He explained that although China’s coastline is 18,000 km, many believe that number has changed to around 14,000 km, because of artificial reclamation and other factors.
Tuo Junqing during the kayak trip along China’s coastline. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
As over 80 percent of the area along the coastline is offshore cage aquaculture area, he had to frequently take detours or shortcuts through cultivation fields, dropping the total kayaking distance significantly.
“But the coastline was always on my right, within my eyesight,” he said.
Tuo, from Southwest China’s Chongqing, is a well-known extreme sports athlete in China, and especially famous for kayaking.
Chinese man completes solo cruise along China’s coastline
By Tan Yingzi in Chongqing | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-07-12 14:59
Tuo Junqing during the kayak trip along China’s coastline. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
In August 2017, he and his friends spent 15 days making a kayak with advanced GPS and power systems. The boat is 5.8 meters long and weighs 30 kilograms.
Tuo paddled alone on the sea during the day and rested on the shore at night.
The average distance he traveled per day was 38 km. During the journey, he has weathered high and low temperatures, from 39 C down to – 17 C. His weight plummeted from 81 to 63.5 kg.
Tuo Junqing during the kayak trip along China’s coastline. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
“I suffered no colds, diarrhea or major injuries, but my hips hurt a lot,” he said.
His kayak has a solar panel to provide power, so he can remain connected with the outside world.
Local media has been following his journey and some of his activities have been live-streamed via social media platforms.