The Olympic odyssey of a Chinese farmer

Chen Guanming has become an iconic figure in London's Chinatown. Photo: Gui Jingwan

The mildly famous Chinese rickshaw driver who won over admiration from world audiences with his presence at London 2012 is not ready to throw in the towel on his years-long Olympic journey just yet. The 57-year-old man plans to continue his three-wheeled adventure that began in 2001 from his East China hometown to the 2020 Games, whether they be in Tokyo, Istanbul or Madrid.

After 2020, Chen Guanming will be well into retirement age and might be starting to tire from spending nearly two decades on the road. But until that time comes, the Olympic enthusiast is only taking a short break, resting in London's Chinatown, showcasing his three-wheeler and telling passersby of his most recent adventures - a two-year pedaling trip from his village in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province that took him through Europe as he spread the Olympic spirit to people in more than 20 countries on his way to London.

With a canvas cover printed with photographs taken by Chen in different countries along the way, the mobile home of the white-bearded man who never married and is without children is "everything he needs in life."

With a tanned face and an arresting smile, fans are drawn to him and his stories with some of his more lively achievements including pedaling his rickshaw up 7,000-meter-high Himalayan peaks and surviving his about of being stranded in the hills of Turkey in -39 C weather.

Strong will

The local farmer never thought he would ever have the chance to experience such worldly experiences, let alone explore any landscapes beyond his small village - until 2001. It was that year when China won the bid for Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games that changed everything for Chen.

"After the news came, I suddenly felt this strong urge inside, like I had to answer the call of the Olympic spirit and do something to help my country in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we were getting," he told the Global Times.

And so, with 7,000 yuan ($1,145) in his pocket, he left home on his rickshaw to promote the spirit of the Olympics, encouraging local residents everywhere he went to prepare for visitors.

It was on his way, a route that eventually led him to every province and region in the country, that he began collecting trash off the streets, hoping to make for a cleaner environment when guests arrived - and realized he could also promote the simplest form of environmental protection on his quest to welcome the world.

As the event drew closer, he made his way to Beijing, picking up garbage near the Olympic Park for six hours a day in the months leading up to the 2008 Games.

"I wanted to help put on a good show," he said. "When foreigners come and see garbage everywhere, it's not shameful for the country, but it's people."

To fund his expedition, Chen would transport people to where they wanted to go for a fee since he was never paid to clear trash from the streets. In cities that prohibited the unauthorized service, he repaired bicycles to earn enough money to get him to his next destination.

But despite his attempts to make an honest living, the fact is that Chen lacked the permit required to run his rickshaw business in the places he went, nor did he have the registration required to set up a stall to receive customers wanting their bikes fixed.