The Olympic odyssey of a Chinese farmer(2)

All of this led to many conflicts with chengguan (urban management officers) nationwide - there was even a time when the officers smashed his rickshaw in Anhui Province for reasons that he is still unsure of - and in the capital, where things were especially strict as the grand event neared. Chen said that he was repeatedly harassed by chengguan who wanted him to stop "meddling."

But Chen said that he never let those obstacles drain his spirit.

"I still kept continuing because in my heart I knew what I was doing was important," he said.

Though he could not afford a ticket to the Bird's Nest to witness first-hand the epic opening ceremony that impressed the world, he watched the live broadcast on a giant screen set up in the city - remembering just how jubilantly proud of his country he felt that night.

"I didn't want to lose that feeling, so I decided to carry the spirit to London," he said.

London glory

In May 2010, Chen departed his hometown once again, this time pedaling through Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, then headed west through Turkey and Greece, Italy and France before arriving in London, the host of the 2012 Games.

Chen said that he often asked border security officers to check reports about him online when he had trouble passing through.

"That way they knew who I was and what I came for," he said.

In London, Chen was linked up with local businessman John Beeston, who helped UK media find Chen and after London media shared his story with the world, press from other countries swarmed him. In a way, his story helped justify London 2012 to a lot of people, Beeston told the Global Times.

"Before the Olympics took place, there were a lot of mixed feelings in England about the event," he said. "But with Chen, suddenly there was this story of adventure and persistence, which really brightened morale."

Though elementary school is the highest level of education Chen has completed, he said that what he has learned on his travels to spread Olympic cheer has taught him far more about geography, environment and culture than he could have ever managed in any classroom.

"For me, the Games have taught me how to respect others from different countries and cultural backgrounds," he said. "The Olympics is a holy event and an occasion for people to practice the Olympic spirit, which we see is strong enough to even see that warring nations cease fire."

"This is why I do what I do," he added. "Each day for me is like the Olympics, and I wish it could be like that for the entire world, too."

Chen next plans to tackle Canada by rickshaw. Then its the rest of North America until 2015 before moving on to Latin America, in time for Rio de Janeiro 2016. And "maybe, just maybe" after the 2020 Olympics are over, he'll consider retirement.