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GOMEL, 8 October (BelTA) – The Belarusian-Chinese visa waiver agreement allows citizens of the two countries to learn more about each other’s life, culture, nature, and traditions, BelTA learned from the Chinese tourist Wang Xiaowei, who came to Belarus on a bicycle all the way from Harbin.

Belarus is the second country after Russia the 24-year-old girl has visited. She has already been to the Belarusian cities of Vitebsk, Polotsk, Minsk, Mogilev, and Gomel. Wang Xiaowei said: “Belarusians are very sympathetic, open, and good-natured people, who are ready to help you out in various situations. I’ve been offered lunch, accommodation for the night, and navigation help on the way. I always feel warmth radiating from Belarusians. Apart from that, the nature is impressive. Belarusian forests are incredibly beautiful.”

Before embarking on a journey to places thousands of kilometers away the girl put together an approximate list of the places she wanted to visit. “I know that Gomel and Harbin have been twinned, this is why my compatriots gave me some hints about places to visit and I chose some other ones on my own,” noted the tourist.

Wang Xiaowei’s journey began in May 2018. She admitted that her idea to travel for thousands of kilometers on a bicycle saddened her parents initially. Besides, the girl had to quit her television reporter job to make the journey possible. Now the family supports her by all means and looks forward to more pictures of the landscapes she takes using her mobile phone. The Chinese girl has already travelled for over 12,000km. She spends her nights in a tent or local residents offer her the hospitality of their homes.

After Belarus the intrepid tourist intends to ride on to Ukraine, then Turkey, Iran, South African countries. She expects her journey to take more than one year.

“I’d like to use my journey to back the idea of the need to protect the environment, support homeless people, and take good care of animals. These matters are topical for all the countries,” the tourist stressed. Wang Xiaowei’s journey of many months is supposed to result in a book, a video film, and materials in Chinese mass media. According to the girl, the journey has inspired her to obtain new knowledge.

BelTA reported earlier that the Belarusian-Chinese visa waiver agreement came into force on 10 August. Belarusians can stay in China without visas for 30 days per trip or for 90 days per annum. The same applies to Chinese citizens. If someone wants to stay for more than 30 days for business or education, he or she will have to get a special visa. The visa waiver agreement applies to private trips, business trips, and tourism trips. The agreement was signed in Qingdao on 10 June during the Belarus president’s visit to China. Belarus is one of the handful of European countries China has signed a visa waiver agreement with.