51-year-old Stefan Hannus has finally entered China after spending eight months cycling from Munich.

He recently arrived in Zhongwei, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Stefan Hannus poses for photos with competitors of a beauty contest in Zhongwei, Ningxia. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

Hannus said he and his brothers went to China in 1984 and once studied at the high school affiliated to Renmin University of China.

“I missed the times when I was in China,” said Hannus, adding that he and his brothers had previously traveled to China’s Xinjiang and Tibet. “I never came back since we left China in 1987, though I did visit many other Asian countries.”

Hannus explained that he had been working very hard over the past 10 years. One day, he decided that he should have a long vacation to relax, so he chose to go back to Beijing, China.

“Now I’m not far from Beijing, and I hope I can get there in the following two weeks if everything goes well.”

Hannus said that to spend a year cycling is his dream, as bikes are fast enough to take people anywhere they want to go, and also slow enough for them to enjoy the journey.

He added that he loves the slow trip because it helps him feel and see more on the way. “Of course, it’s also environmentally friendly,” he said.