Bicycle love quest helps mothers' charity

By Yang Dong  |   2008-12-24  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

SHE has cycled more than 2,000 kilometers from Guangzhou, southern China's Guangdong Province, since November 22, and she arrived in Shanghai yesterday about 6pm, the final destination of her much-publicized love-seeking journey.

Identifying herself as Chan Juan, the name of the fabled fairy in the moon in Chinese mythology, the 25-year-old will hold a match-making party at a hotel this Saturday to meet selected candidates, any one of whom may be her Mr Right. More than 1,000 candidates have signed up, said Huang Xintao, the activity's chief planning inspector.

Apart from spreading her message of love, along the way Chan Juan promoted a charity called Program of Happiness and Action to Help Impoverished Mothers, which helps mothers in China's underdeveloped areas.

"Chan Juan is enthusiastic about public welfare," said Huang. "Our company decided to combine her quest for love with a good cause."

After graduating from university, Chan Juan worked as a tax consultant for a foreign company, earning more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,460) a month.

"I came to Mr Huang and his company to find a suitable way for me to meet my soul mate," Chan Juan said.

She has invested 100,000 yuan, two years' savings, in the love-seeking journey, said Huang.

She rode about 100 kilometers every day, promoting the charity and giving media interviews en route. Her criteria for an ideal husband include a body height of at least 1.73 meters, a monthly income of no less than 15,000 yuan, and someone who owns his own apartment.

"Before the journey, I trained for half a year to ensure I had the strength to finish the 2,000-kilometer trip," she said. "I spent all my savings hiring about 10 people to keep me company along the way."

Her trip attracted massive media attention, and all the reporters she's spoken to have heard about the mothers' charity.

Even if she doesn't find her Mr Right, that is enough, Chan Juan, told reporters.