I drove 6,800 miles from China to go to Wearside university following a joke by my dad

Yukun Tao drove from Nanjing in China to Durham, ready for the start of the academic term at the end of September and as his exchange programme nears completion he is getting set to make the mammoth return journey, once again behind the wheel of his trusty car.

The mechanical engineering student, who was studying at at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU), said: “After receiving my exchange student offer from Durham in March 2024, my dad joked that I should take my car to Durham.”

Little did his dad know that the seed was sewn and Yukun decided to plan his epic journey which would see him embark on his two continent trip in the Chinese built car he had bought the previous year.

It was actually the political red tape around his car which proved to be the most difficult barrier to setting off .

He said: “I view my car as my mobile home and I often travel to the coast or explore major cities for fun.

“There are limitations in China over taking a domestic car abroad – a company needs to apply for documents to take a Chinese car out of the country, and there is a lot of paperwork involved.

“I’m very grateful that my mother was able to help with this process, but it was still far easier for me to get hold of a visa for myself than the necessary documents for the car.”

On Sunday September 1 his car was packed with a mountain bike on the back and he embarked on his journey, initially travelling 4,400km within China itself, traversing the country from east to west.

He said “While driving in China, I didn’t really have many worries. I booked accommodation through an app on my phone either the day before or the same morning, and food was easy.”

After five days travelling, disaster struck before he reached the border when his car began to struggle each time he went to accelerate.

He said: “I called a friend who was able to get me an appointment with another friend in the area.

“I got to the workshop in the evening of Friday 6 September and they identified a large problem with the car’s engine. Usually, fixing it would take over a week, but the engineers worked around the clock to help me get it back up and running. I was extremely thankful to them.”

Eventually after eight days of travel, Yukun crossed the border into Kazakhstan where things were “very different”.

He said: “I was immediately struck by the differences. Most of the roads weren’t in good condition, or were still being built. There weren’t many places to eat either. I was lucky if I got a hot meal.”

Five days in Kazakhstan was followed by seven days traversing Russia, then Latvia, where Yukun arrived on Friday 20 September after an eight hour wait at the Terehova border crossing.

Yukun’s progress after entering Latvia sped up considerably, and he travelled through Lithuania, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands, before boarding a ferry from Amsterdam.

After 26 days of travel, Yukun arrived in North Shields and made the short trip down the A1 to his new temporary home in Durham City.

He said: “As well as allowing me to see more of the world, my adventure has helped me learn that certain things are out of my control.

“Rather than getting stressed, or angry, now I focus first on calming myself, then look for a solution. I no longer dwell on things as much as I used to.

“I chose Durham as it was one of the few HK PolyU partners that offered a year-long exchange, as opposed to a semester.

“I had never been to the UK before and wanted to immerse myself fully in the culture and local environment. This may be my only chance to experience life in the UK and I want to grab it with both hands.”

After driving over nearly 7,000 miles, and with a return trip still to come, you could forgive Yukun for parking up his vehicle, but he has taken advantage of having his car with him and has used his time away from his studies to travel the UK.

He said: “I’ve taken time to go on longer distance road trips within the UK. I’ve explored locally, and have also already been to many cities, including London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool, to name a few.

“I’ve joined a local car enthusiasts club too, which includes over 100 people from Durham and Newcastle. I’ve really enjoyed travelling in the UK and have seen some amazing scenes, like driving through snow in the Highlands.

“For mountain biking, I’ve discovered a few areas in the region – Chopwell pump track and mountain biking trails, Belmont pump track in Durham, and Descend Bike Park in Bishop Auckland. I’ve got my roommate in college into mountain biking too – he hadn’t done it before, so I’ve kind of become his teacher.”

Before returning to China, Yukun is hoping to explore more of Europe, including fulfilling a dream of travelling to the famous Nürburgring racetrack in April.

Ahead of his return journey, Yukun said: “I would love to meet alumni on my return journey, as I have enjoyed feeling part of Durham’s community. If you’d like to join me on any part of my journey, for a meal, or longer on the road, please get in touch.”