As Far as the Feet Can Pedal: 7,000 Kilometres Through the Middle Kingdom

Christian Y. Schmidt and Volker Häring dared the extraordinary: they cycled the original route of Mao’s Long March in spectacular fashion. Past rice terraces and mandarin orchards, through breathtaking—and often perilous—gorges, into ancient, captivating trading towns, their epic journey crosses the Yangtze, pushes through the foothills of the Himalayas, and ascends to the Tibetan Plateau, tracing the founding myth of the People’s Republic. Along the way, they track the story of a legendary German in China who played a key role in Mao’s revolution: the writer and former party official Otto Braun. A thrilling travel adventure, full of unexpected insights into a contradictory country, and featuring two old white men who argue as they go. Sadly, the book is so far only available in German (Der lange Fahrrad-Marsch: 7.000 Kilometer durch das Reich der Mitte)—but who knows what the future might bring …

Christian Y. Schmidt, born 1956, was an editor at the satirical magazine Titanic. He lived in Beijing for over fifteen years and has written celebrated fiction (including Der letzte Huelsenbeck) as well as numerous books on China, including the Spiegel bestseller Allein unter 1,3 Milliarden. With this book, he bids farewell to China.

Volker Häring, born 1969, is a travel writer and cycling tour organiser. Since 1993 he has cycled more than 50,000 kilometres through China, reporting his journeys in books (Ein Bus namens Wanda), ARTE documentaries (China’s Wild West), and blogs. His Beijing crime novel Beijing Baby is a hidden gem among China experts.