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Bicycle adventure through China: reading with humor and history!
Reading by Christian Y. Schmidt about his travel report “The Long Bicycle March” on February 12th in Oberursel.
Bicycle adventure through China: reading with humor and history!
The Oberursel association LiteraTouren invites you to a reading with Christian Y. Schmidt on Thursday, February 12th at 7:30 p.m. The event takes place on Portstrasse Youth & Culture and offers interested listeners the opportunity to get to know Schmidt and his work "The Long Bicycle March. 7000 kilometers through the Middle Kingdom". This book, which was created in collaboration with Volker Häring, tells of a unique bicycle trip that the authors undertook in October 2023.
On their tour, Schmidt and Häring follow the historic route of Mao's “Long March” from 1934/35, covering 7,000 kilometers through various Chinese landscapes, including dangerous gorges and picturesque rice terraces. The two authors bring different perspectives and personalities into the story: Häring as an experienced cycle tour operator and Schmidt, who lived in Beijing for over 15 years but is less sporty. These contrasts create absurd comedy and interesting dynamics during the journey.
The adventures of the bike tour
On their trip, Schmidt and Häring not only discover China's most impressive natural beauties, but also its cultural features and historical sites. You cycle through old trading towns, cross the Yangtze and reach the foothills of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. This expedition follows the founding myth of the People's Republic of China and highlights the role of Otto Braun, a German writer who was actively involved in Mao's revolution.
The reading will be moderated by Hans Zippert, whose fame has grown through his column “Zippert zappt” in the daily newspaper DIE WELT. During the event, Schmidt will also present photos and small video clips to bring his experiences even more to life.
Event details
Tickets for the reading cost 12 euros and are available in various bookstores as well as by email and at the box office. The event is organized by LiteraTouren.kultur in cooperation with Portstraße Jugend & Kultur and supported by the Oberursel Culture and Sports Support Association (KSfO). Schmidt's travelogue offers deeper insights into today's China and the experiences of the two cyclists, while also exploring the historical roots of the CCP and Mao's Long March.
This bike tour reconstructs what was originally a military retreat in which the Red Army covered around 12,500 kilometers under extreme conditions. The Long March, considered a crucial chapter in China's history, is still promoted today as a symbol of strength and resilience. Schmidt and Häring offer a modern perspective on this significant historical event and its impact on the present. Taunus news and Ullstein report on the exciting reading and the background of the book.