A 40-member auto caravan team will leave Beijing this summer to spend three months crossing 30,000 kilometers and 23 countries to spread the Olympic spirit and goodwill.

“The 2004 Crossing Eurasia Tour is the first of its kind, the first time Chinese people have traversed the two continents by automobile,” said Li Jie, vice president of the organizing committee, in Beijing yesterday.

Sponsored by the China Association for Scientific Expeditions, the goal of the team is to learn more about humankind and nature while spreading the friendship, culture and peaceful spirit of the Chinese nation.

“The Beijing Olympics and the upcoming 55th birthday of the People’s Republic of China provide a good chance to show New China to the world,” said Li.

The journey, which will begin in late July, will also provide an opportunity to share the Beijing Olympic Spirit: a “green, high-tech and people-friendly Olympic Games.”

About 40 men and women have been chosen to make the journey. They include scientists, environmentalists, explorers, professional auto racers and ordinary Beijing citizens.

Liu Bin, one of the racers, said, “This campaign is different from competitive races held in China, because it will be such a meaningful cultural exchange. It is also a new and fresh experience for me.”

The first stop outside China this summer will be Mongolia, then Russia. The convoy will visit six past Olympic host cities: Moscow, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Athens.

Celebrations will be held at each of the other Olympic cities and convoy members will present Chinese gifts to local governments at each stop.

The journey will also pass through 30 Chinese sister cities across Asia and Europe, and the travelers will stage a series of events, such as a parade in Moscow’s Red Square, a ceremonial crossing through the Berlin Wall and a carnival in Barcelona.

(China Daily April 9, 2004)