Epic bus ride goes viral on Chinese social media

A video of a Shanghai undergraduate travelling from Shanghai to Beijing by bus recently went viral on domestic video sharing platform Bilibili in China.

The video currently has more than 1.24 million views.

The 1,810-kilometer ride between the two cities took the sophomore from East China University of Science and Technology six days from April 28 to May 3 and cost him 381 yuan ($59.21).

"I just wanted to enjoy the scenery of the nation during the Labor Day holiday," said the young man surnamed Tang.

According to Tang, planning for this trip took a week, though he eventually had to make multiple changes to the itinerary because of unforeseen circumstances such as long intervals between buses.

"I only took taxis in regions where there isn't public transportation. I only had one square meal every day. For the rest of the day, I would just have milk and biscuits," he said, before adding that he only stayed at budget motels.

During his trip in Hebei province's Baoding, he accidentally left his camera on the bus and did not realize it until he arrived in Beijing the next day.

"Fortunately, the bus driver kept the camera for me and sent it to me later. If not for his kind actions I would not have been able to make this popular video," he said.

Tang pointed out that he found the challenges faced during the trip to be meaningful.

"Compared with other means of transport like trains and airplanes, buses usually attract fewer tourists if they have a long journey. But this is the reason why I chose to do it. I hope to overcome the challenges, which is very exciting," he said.

Tang also recalled of the experiences during the journey.

"Hearing dialects along the way, from the south of the Yangtze River, to the North China plain, to the nation's capital Beijing, I truly understood that China is a large country with various kinds of landscapes and diverse cultures," Tang said.

"It's not as difficult to take a trip like this as everyone thinks. You just need a digital map on your mobile phone. The country has built a comprehensive transport system. Even in remote areas, I was still able to find public transport to go to the next destination," he added.

In the future, Tang plans to travel by bus from Shanghai to Baoji, Shaanxi province in Northwest China.

"I may study in Germany soon, and if possible, I hope to travel from Berlin to Paris, or from Istanbul, Turkey, to Greece using the same method," he said.