Source: JobTube, Arianna J., Freya W., Josh B.
On August 19th, a 500-kilometer hike drew wide attention from Chinese media as it was organized by an English man with an aim to collect money.With a slogan of Walk of Friendship, the hike was organized by Michael Bates, an English man from Newcastle together with his wife Xuelin, who was from Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
The couple made a plan to hike from Hangzhou to Wenzhou, from August 19th to September 19th, which is 500 KM apart. Along the way, they will collect donations, and then donate the money to public welfare for children and disabled persons in Zhejiang Province. This is why they have chosen to continue hiking around the world, throughout the past years, as they wish to help people in need.
The couple have been married for many years. Mr. Bates said," My wife and I, we love each other and our countries. Through this journey, we would like to make a documentary called The Story of Qiantang River to let more people around the world know about Zhejiang and Chinese culture. Eventually, we will build a bridge of friendship through cultural exchanges.
As for Mr. Bates and his wife, this 500-kilometer hike is not quite far, as they have constantly hiked for charity all around the world. Here is a brief list of the places they haved hiked:
From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Bates launched the "Walking for the Olympic Truce" campaign.
In 2013, Mr. Bates hiked 828 kilometers alone to raise money for Syrian children in the midst of war.
In July 2015, Mr. Bates and his wife arrived in Hangzhou during a hike of about 1704 kilometers from Beijing and donated all the money they collected to charity projects in China.
In April 2016, Mr. Bates left Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital, for more than four months and walked nearly 3,000 kilometers, eventually he arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 22nd, in order to raise money for UNICEF.
In 2017, Mr. Bates launched a "British Concentric" hike to help the British families who were suffering from terrorist attack.
In 2018, Mr. Bates went to Caofeidian from Beijing to raise over 350,000 British pounds to help students in poor areas of China.
In April 2019, Mr. Bates set out from Belfast, Northern Ireland, all the way to Brussels, Belgium, totally walking 631 km away on 25 days, to find common ground between Britain and the European Union.
In August 2019, "Walking for Friendship" was officially launched. The Bates' would walk 500 kilometers from Hangzhou to Wenzhou.
During my younger years, I dreamed of being a successful man eagerly. However, as I was older enough, I gradually realized that the most important responsibility and obligation was not what it became, but to do it down-to-earth. Mr. Bates said.
More Pictures of Their Beautiful Cause
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