Directed by
Jason Reid
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Here we go!

Whether we’re ready or not, we’re leaving Beijing on bicycles 5 hours from now to begin our journey. After a night of celebration for Mid-Autumn Festival, I’m about to catch a couple of hours of sleep before we leave for our first 100km tomorrow morning at 9am. Sean and Kevin arrived safely on Saturday and have been quickly acclimating themselves to China and all there is to learn about this incredible country.

Unfortunately, I have to keep this brief for now, but all I can say is Beijing has been nothing short of amazing and all of the people who have helped us along the way have already enriched our experience and have made the transition to China much easier than expected. We now have internet, a cellphone, and lots of information about what might encounter on the open roads between here and Shanghai….

But really, nothing can truly prepare us for what lies ahead…Finally it is time to begin our epic journey and to see what life in China is like outside of Beijing and the glow of the Olympics.

So with that said, I have just two things to say—Bon Voyage and Man Zou!

Late night at the Bamboo Gardens, Reidster and Kevin discuss how excited they are about leaving the next day at 9am. Check out the awesome Norco Bicycles behind us and the slick new Casual Industrees t-shirts, representing the WaBrahs in China.

Late night at the Bamboo Gardens, Reidster and Kevin discuss how excited they are about leaving the next day at 9am. Check out the awesome Norco Bicycles behind us and our slick new Casual Industrees t-shirts.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 14th, 2008 at 4:19 pm and is filed under Beijing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

140 Responses to “Here we go!”

  1. Christine Says:
    September 16th, 2008 at 10:10 am

    Hey Team Manzou –

    where are you now???

    Thinking of you on your epic China tour and wishing you peace, love & happiness for your journey~

Man Zou is a common phrase in Mandarin. It is more of a philosophy than anything. Man Zou literally translates to "Walk Slow."

"Slow and steady wins the race," they say. This is at the heart of the meaning of Man Zou. Walk slowly and you won't fall. Act carefully and you won't go wrong. A slow walker is faster than someone who walks fast but always has to stop and rest. Persistence is important in learning or doing anything.

To explain a little more in depth, read this quote from The Challenge of Trekking in China by Kyle Acierno:

"I recently underwent the most thorny, intricate, and demanding trek of my life. China is no walk in the park. The county is extremely diverse, and with diversity comes complexity. There is no smooth road laid for backpackers and attempting to do anything or get anywhere can be incredibly arduous...I really needed a break and I didn't know where I would be next. I sat down to a plate of rice noodles and peanuts. A hardy meal for a hardy man. A giant of a woman served me, but with her giant body came a giant heart. With a quick phrase that I have become accustomed to, she filled me with self-assurance that I needed for the rest of my trip. ?Man Zou!? she shouted with a big smile on her face. This literally translates to ?Walk Slow?. To me this means more then just ?be careful.? To me this means take the time to see the wonders of life. The power it gave me changed the rest of my trip. From then on everything went smoothly...I learned a lot from this Trek. I learned the beauty that exists just off the beaten track. I learned that anything amazing takes time. I learned just how much you could learn from people without even using language...By taking the time to notice all the small things in life you can really appreciate who, where, and what you are. Patience, persistence, and practice makes perfect."