I met Du (as we fondly call him) during my stay at Odisha. Incidentally, after having met so many people from so many different countries, I wanted to meet a Chinese guy. And, voila! This guy popped up the next day!

Du is on a mission to cycle his way from Beijing to South Africa. He began his journey somewhere in August 2011 and has been cycling since with more than 25 kgs (around 50 pounds) of luggage which include necessities – 3 cameras, tool kit, first-aid, tent, hammock etc.

He is one of the few souls who give you a lot even without having any basic communication with him. He is a gentle guy and will take care of you without your knowledge (almost like a secret agent :P). I shot this footage during our interactions, mostly on the beach, where he demonstrated some Tai Chi techniques for me.
We did only one interview which you can see as a time lapse between 2:49–2:59. He did have a little difficulty in being articulate but the essence of his communication was always spot on.

What you see here is a speck of his huge journey through my lens.
Some of the shots where he isn’t present are the shots that Du himself has shot.
He has been on the road with a little money and a lot of heart and it proves that so many things are ‘still’ possible. There are many interesting and intense people, doing all kinds of interesting things, but very few get to spend time and know them and see how things could be if everyone opened their eyes without fear.

People can send their good wishes to him on [email protected]

Music by Amon Tobin – Slowly