Retired carpenter bikes 20,000 km around China

This year, he finished his third long-distance journey to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and returned on July 26.

"During the journeys, I enjoy the beautiful scenery and different landscapes, as well as different local cultures and traditions," he said. "However, I also encountered storms, terrible road conditions and flat tires."

"Fortunately, I persisted and finally reached my destinations," he told China Daily. "I felt quite proud when I received praise and encouragement from strangers when they discovered I came from a remote place."

"There were also lots of people who provided help to me during the trip, which made me feel the warmth of the whole society," he added.

Now Sun is planning his next journey.

"I hope to cycle to Europe in the near future," he said. "I don't want to grow older and older at home, so I want to go out and see more different people and the colorful world."

"I have begun to study simple everyday English, hoping it will be useful during the journey," he said.