International Student Cycled 5,000km from Malaysia to NCKU, Taiwan
Tainan, Taiwan, September 16th, 2010
Freshman student Por Cheng Han from the Department of Political Science at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, began his cycling journey from Malaysia to Taiwan in mid-July by riding his bicycle for 5,000 km and 56 days, passing Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Guangxi, China, Guangzhou, Macao, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Fuzhou and Xiamen, taking a passage from Xiamen to Kinmen and arriving at Kaohsiung by airplane, to come to NCKU to study.
Carrying a 25 kg luggage, containing helmet, clothing, drugs, maintenance tools, spare tire, tent and sleeping bag, Por Cheng Han departed from Penang, Malaysia, visited historical sites along the way, and finally arrived at Tainan, Taiwan.
Por Cheng Han expressed, “Because I love politics, I’ve decided to apply to NCKU Department of Political Science. When I arrived, I discovered that NCKU has excellent learning environment and diverse club activities. The teachers and classmates are extremely friendly as well.”
He recalled, “As I was thinking about how to leave a memorable experience in my life, I met three people from Hong Kong who cycled from Macao to Singapore. After talking to them, I was attracted to and amazed at the journey they took, so I’ve decided to try it on my own.”
He further explained, “After I had this idea this February, I began to think about the feasibility of the plan. The schedule and every small detail were finalized in April. To have better physical strength to complete the challenge, I spent 2 to 3 hours per day to engage in outdoor cycling training and indoor physical training. In addition, during every weekend, I cycled for approximately 9 hours to go back to my hometown, Perlis, and spent the same amount of time the next day to return to my workplace.”
Por Cheng Han added, “I remember once I met a restaurant owner who is also a bicycle lover. I’ve shared my plan with him and he was impressed with my idea. The owner even offered me tea for free and gave me a lot of encouragement. My will was more determined after meeting this wholehearted restaurant owner.”
He also revealed, “The pain is only temporary when a person bears hardships to fulfill his or her dream, but the pain is permanent when a person regrets giving up his or her dream. I had the idea of cycling from Malaysia to Taiwan because I wanted to create a wonderful memory in my life and make a crazy and heroic attempt which may only happen once in a lifetime.”
After he graduated from School of Chinese Studies at Han Chiang College, Malaysia, Por Cheng Han has served as reporter for local newspaper Guang Ming Daily. On the day of his departure, under the blessings of 4 county state senators, 20 cyclists, newspaper reporters and friends and with the escort of policemen, he began his journey.
National Cheng Kung University has approximately 690 registered international students from 70 countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Mongolia, United States, Canada, Panama, Paraguay and Japan, for the fall semester of this academic year.
Compared to 417 international students in the academic year of 2008 and 553 international students in the academic year of 2009, it’s evident that the English environment at NCKU has the scale of an international university.
Freshman student Por Cheng Han from the Department of Political Science at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, began his cycling journey from Malaysia to Taiwan in mid-July by riding his bicycle for 5,000 km and 56 days, passing Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Guangxi, China, Guangzhou, Macao, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Fuzhou and Xiamen, taking a passage from Xiamen to Kinmen and arriving at Kaohsiung by airplane, to come to NCKU to study.
Carrying a 25 kg luggage, containing helmet, clothing, drugs, maintenance tools, spare tire, tent and sleeping bag, Por Cheng Han departed from Penang, Malaysia, visited historical sites along the way, and finally arrived at Tainan, Taiwan.
Por Cheng Han expressed, “Because I love politics, I’ve decided to apply to NCKU Department of Political Science. When I arrived, I discovered that NCKU has excellent learning environment and diverse club activities. The teachers and classmates are extremely friendly as well.”
He recalled, “As I was thinking about how to leave a memorable experience in my life, I met three people from Hong Kong who cycled from Macao to Singapore. After talking to them, I was attracted to and amazed at the journey they took, so I’ve decided to try it on my own.”
He further explained, “After I had this idea this February, I began to think about the feasibility of the plan. The schedule and every small detail were finalized in April. To have better physical strength to complete the challenge, I spent 2 to 3 hours per day to engage in outdoor cycling training and indoor physical training. In addition, during every weekend, I cycled for approximately 9 hours to go back to my hometown, Perlis, and spent the same amount of time the next day to return to my workplace.”
Por Cheng Han added, “I remember once I met a restaurant owner who is also a bicycle lover. I’ve shared my plan with him and he was impressed with my idea. The owner even offered me tea for free and gave me a lot of encouragement. My will was more determined after meeting this wholehearted restaurant owner.”
He also revealed, “The pain is only temporary when a person bears hardships to fulfill his or her dream, but the pain is permanent when a person regrets giving up his or her dream. I had the idea of cycling from Malaysia to Taiwan because I wanted to create a wonderful memory in my life and make a crazy and heroic attempt which may only happen once in a lifetime.”
After he graduated from School of Chinese Studies at Han Chiang College, Malaysia, Por Cheng Han has served as reporter for local newspaper Guang Ming Daily. On the day of his departure, under the blessings of 4 county state senators, 20 cyclists, newspaper reporters and friends and with the escort of policemen, he began his journey.
National Cheng Kung University has approximately 690 registered international students from 70 countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Mongolia, United States, Canada, Panama, Paraguay and Japan, for the fall semester of this academic year.
Compared to 417 international students in the academic year of 2008 and 553 international students in the academic year of 2009, it’s evident that the English environment at NCKU has the scale of an international university.
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