British lord praises China after epic charity walk

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China's natural beauty, incredible generosity and infrastructure miracle impressed British politician Lord Michael Bates, whose 71-day walk in China raised over British 90,000 pounds (about 116,000 US dollars) for the Red Cross Society of China.

The natural beauty of Taishan /Photo via twoeggz.com

"What impressed me most about the walk in China was the natural beauty of the areas in which we walked through places like the Taishan Mountains and Qufu for example," Bates, who is also minister of state at the Department for International Development and member of the House of Lords, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"There was also the incredible generosity of the people we met along the way. Over 700 people joined us at various stages of the 71-day walk and it was great to share the experience with them," Lord Bates said.

In 2015, Lord Bates walked 1,700 km from Beijing to Hangzhou, where his Chinese wife Li Xuelin was born. He wrote the experience in his book "Walk for Peace: Transcultural Experiences in China" which was published in March 2017.

In the conclusion of his book, Bates said walking is a good way to see national infrastructure and he considers infrastructure in China is impressive. "The road surfaces I walked along were of an extremely high standard."

"Roads, especially the local roads I was walking on are only a small part of the infrastructure miracle in China," he said.

He said he is not surprised by such an epic infrastructure development in China and China's civil engineers as well as construction companies are now in demand around the world.

"China sets its sights on 2049 and the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic by which time it expects to be the leading economy in the world. Few would now doubt that it is on track to achieve this with time to spare," he said.

"When I was young, I used to want to be something - an MP (Member of Parliament), a minister. But as I get older, I realize that the greater responsibility is not to be but to do. This is why I walk," said Bates, explaining the reason for him to start walking.

The natural beauty of Hangzhou /Photo via twoeggz.com

Recalling his walk in China, Bates said the motivation for the walk in China was simply that "we had received so much support from China for our previous walks from London to Berlin and London to Northern Ireland, we wanted to do something for China."

He said the route between Beijing and Hangzhou seemed to fit well, and 2015 was also the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in which China and Britain were allies.

Bates highlighted the relations between China and Britain, saying China will soon be the world's largest economy and Britain is a great trading nation so we must have strong relations.

"Like all good relationships it exists so long as each side benefits from it and there is mutual respect," he said.

Bates said Britain also has a great amount to offer to the relationship in education, financial services and global connections with the Commonwealth, European Union and the United States.

Bates is now in another 1,000-km walk from London to Edinburgh in his own country, raising money for the Red Cross to support the victims of the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.

Accompanied by his wife, who is helping with planning the trip and fundraising, Bates will spend the summer on the road. In total, he expects the walk to last 45 days.

"We have all been shocked and saddened by the recent terrorist attacks in London and Manchester. There is a long way to go but we know what we need to do and we need to take it a day at a time," he said.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency