'Come Back Alive': Mowgli's world bicycle tour

Have you ever dreamed of cycling around the world? For most of us, that seems too challenging, too expensive, and too risky. But for Luo Mingning, aka Mowgli, dreams are meant to be chased. A bike mechanic originally from a small village in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southwest China, Mowgli set off on a bamboo bicycle he had built himself. From April 2022 to November 2025, he spent four years cycling across the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Besides his own tenacity, he also was showered with kindness from friends and strangers along the way, solved many problems and discovered a world that was bigger, warmer, and more surprising than he had ever imagined.