Sprightly nonagenarian finds solace in beauty of nature after car crash wipes out his family; ‘this is the life I have chosen’, he says
The sprightly Zhang Zhongyi, from Kaifeng in Henan province, remains sharp-witted, articulate and quick to smile.
His story gained nationwide attention after Bai Xiaobai, a woman who encountered him in Putian, southeastern China’s Fujian province, stopped to help push his tricycle.
As they spoke, Zhang recounted the tragedy that had reshaped his life.
In the 1990s, Zhang’s son, daughter-in-law and eight-year-old grandson were killed in a car crash. His wife, consumed by grief, died of illness the following year.
After losing his family within two years, Zhang left home and drifted into a life on the road.
His bicycle eventually gave way to a tricycle and over nearly three decades he followed highways across mountains, lakes, deserts and cities.
